An interview with Atlanta Braves fan, No. 13 Ty Dillon

Ty Dillon is a NASCAR driver. He currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 13 Chevrolet SS for Germain Racing, and part-time in the XFINITY Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. Ty took home his first Xfinity Series win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway back in 2014, and was named Camping World Trucks Series Rookie of the Year in 2012. But guess what? He’s also a full-time Atlanta Braves fan.

Being that we have something in common, a love for Atlanta Braves baseball, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know his story – His Braves story. We all have one; stories of how we ended up being Braves fans, who our favorite players were and why, and cherished memories of Skip and Pete.

I wanted to get to know the Braves fan inside the No. 13 Chevrolet SS Geico car. Following Talladega this past Sunday, I hooked up with Ty to talk a little Braves baseball.

Josh Brown: Ty, first of all, thanks for speaking with me. I couldn’t be more thrilled to let Braves fans from all over Braves Country get to know another side of you – the Braves fan side of you.

Ty Dillon: Looking forward to it. I’ve been a huge Braves fan my whole life, so I’m excited to do this interview.

JB: So, last Thursday night was your first trip to SunTrust Park. And, of course, the first night you go it has to get rained out! But you did get to see a little baseball and get a feel for the park. Tell me your thoughts on the park itself, compared to The Ted.

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TD: We’ve been waiting for a while since the new park was announced, and it lived up to the hype. It’s really awesome.

When we were there, the team gave us a great tour of the whole place. The biggest thing that stuck out to me was the modern technology. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen at a ballpark before.

Another improvement is that the seats are a lot bigger and more comfortable than they were at Turner Field. Everywhere you went, everything is just so state-of-the-art and the atmosphere around the park is really cool. I really like it.

Not saying that Turner Field wasn’t great; it was full of history and great memories with legends like Maddux and Chipper playing there. The new park is amazing and I hope Freddie and Dansby and these young guys can bring some of that success here.

JB: What did you think about Monument Park?

TD: It’s one thing seeing all the titles that the Braves have won throughout the years on TV or in photos, but getting up close with them was incredible. Seeing them in person really connects you to the team’s history. I also got to see some memorabilia and learn about the history of the Braves organization. I’m a big fan, but there were even a couple of new things I learned that I didn’t know about before.

Welcome to @SunTrustPark, @tydillon & @Tim_Dugger! 🏁🎶 pic.twitter.com/qND8Z0SgTO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 4, 2017

JB: Word on the streets says you got to hang with some guy named Chipper Jones. How was that?

TD: I’ve met Chipper quite a few times throughout my life, which is really cool and makes me feel lucky. It’s always nice to see him and talk baseball or whatever else with him. Last time we were together, he was asking questions about racing, so it was fun to share a little bit about my sport with him and nice to see he was genuinely interested in NASCAR.

JB: Ty, Braves fans want to know – Did you put a bug in Chipper’s ear about becoming the next hitting coach?

TD: [Laughs] No I didn’t. He’s Chipper Jones! All-Star, MVP, World Series winner, .300 hitter… he could have whatever job he wanted in baseball! I’m sure if he wants to be hitting coach, every MLB team will be knocking at his door.

JB: Tell me about growing up a Braves fan. Are you the lone Braves fan in your family, or are there others?

TD: Pretty much my whole family are Braves fans. That makes things fun when I always have someone to talk about the team with – for good or for bad. My grandfather (NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Childress) took my brother, Austin, and I to our first game when we were young. I was hooked from the beginning after we got the chance to meet Bobby Cox, Ned Yost and Terry Pendleton and all those guys. That was actually the first time I met Chipper, too.

JB: You’re 25… which makes me feel really old… what are some of your earliest Braves memories?

TD: I was probably six or seven when my grandfather took us to our first game, so that’s probably my earliest memory. One of my favorite memories is that I actually got a ball signed by Hank Aaron. I’ve collected some memorabilia over the years, but that ball is still one of my most prized possessions.

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JB: Who was your favorite Brave or Braves growing up?

TD: I love Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, Javier Lopez – I love that whole late 90’s/early 2000’s team. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz – I don’t think we’ll see a rotation that good in a long time. Think about how good those guys were together!

It’s rough to pick one guy from the teams from the mid-to-late 90’s. Even in the early 2000’s, I loved everyone on the team. Such a great time to grow up as a Braves fan.

JB: Who’s your favorite non-Braves player and why? You know, if your home team could go after that one guy, who would you want?

TD: Bryce Harper comes to mind immediately. Also, Madison Bumgarner. They are grinders and play the game hard 100% of the time. They are competitors who want to win every time they step onto the diamond. Especially MadBum, he’s basically unhittable in October.

JB: Okay, Ty, I’ve got to put you through the wringer here. Braves fans love a good scouting report. Could we give us a couple of scouting reports on some current players?

TD: [Laughs] I’m not sure if I can give a good scouting report on a lot of the players, but we’ve got a good team. The guys are playing good right now and they are fun to watch. I’ve been keeping up with the farm system, and they’ve been doing really well, too.

I try to see the Gwinnett AAA team whenever they come to Charlotte to play against the Knights. I’m just looking forward to the future and I know we have a lot of great hitting and pitching coming up through the minors. The new stadium and young talent makes me really excited for the next few seasons.

JB: Ty, thanks again for speaking with us here at Tomahawk Take. I think I speak for a lot of Braves fans when I say that I’ve got a new favorite driver now. Good luck this season.

TD: It was my pleasure. Hopefully next time I get to a game, the weather will comply. Go Braves!

Next: 8 Braves make it into BA's Top 100 Prospects list

If you’d like to keep up with Ty and his career, make sure you follow him on Twitter @tydillon and on Instagram @tydillon.

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