Dubbed the Price of Peoria, Dylan “The Hitman” Cappello had dreams of becoming a NASCAR Cup Series Champion. At first, he was going to follow in his dad’s footsteps as a drag racer but he pivoted to oval racing so he could begin competitively racing at age 5.
Dylan and his family traveled across the nation, dominating in quarter midgets, setting records at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and regularly beating other drivers who now race in the NASCAR Cup Series.
But like many aspiring race car drivers face, a lack of big money and big sponsors held Dylan back from advancing closer to NASCAR after winning races and championships across legend cars, modifieds, and late models. After participating in the engineering program at Liberty High School, he pursued a college education at Northern Arizona University in Engineering.
Between his junior and senior year at NAU, Cappello landed an internship with NASCAR Cup Series team, Stewart-Haas Racing. After graduating from NAU, Cappello stayed home, but the racing itch eventually was too much, and Cappello made the move to North Carolina.
After climbing up the NASCAR ranks, he has climbed up the pit box as the crew chief for Layne Riggs and the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 truck. Cappello celebrated a championship at Phoenix as the engineer for Zane Smith in 2022. But after helping lead the team to 3 wins this year, Cappello comes to Phoenix Raceway with a shot at winning the truck series owners’ championship, calling the shots on the pit box.
Dylan still races every chance he gets and still visits victory lane. And while there are days he would rather be in the cockpit, there’s a certain thrill about winning the way he does today.
It’s your last chance to join in on NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. NASCAR crowns four champions in the ARCA Menards West Series, Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series over three days from October 31 to November 2. It’s your last chance to get your tickets at phoenixraceway.com.
Devon Henry
