Tom Chilton joined the BTCC in 2002 with Barwell Motorsport, becoming the youngest driver on the grid at 17-years-old. He impressed with a 15th place finish overall and fifth in the Independents’ Championship. Chilton moved to Arena Motorsport from 2003 to 2005, where he secured his first BTCC victory at Silverstone in 2004, at the time becoming the youngest winner in the series history. Despite missing six races in 2005 due to his American Le Mans Series commitments, he still finished fifth in the standings.

In 2006, Chilton returned to Vauxhall with VX Racing, earning several podiums over two seasons in the Astra and the new Vectra. In 2008, he switched to Team Halfords, partnering with Gordon Shedden in Honda machinery. A dominant win at Brands Hatch helped him secure tenth in the standings.

Chilton rejoined Arena Motorsport in 2009, driving a new Ford Focus ST, but even with in-season development, he could only manage 13th in the standings. In 2010, he switched to LPG propulsion, claiming four pole positions and the Independents’ Championship. The introduction of the third-generation Ford Focus in 2011 saw Chilton achieve two victories and finish seventh in the Drivers’ Championship.

After five years competing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Chilton returned to the BTCC with Power Maxed Racing in 2017, immediately taking silverware in the Brands Hatch opener. In 2018, he moved to Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher, driving the Focus RS to a consistent season that resulted in a third-place finish in the Drivers’ Championship.

Chilton remained with the Motorbase-backed team in 2019, securing a single victory at Croft. In 2020, he switched to BTC Racing, driving a Honda Civic Type R, where he claimed three podiums and finished in the top ten overall.

In 2021, Chilton joined Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport, ending a challenging campaign with three top-ten finishes. As the Hybrid Era began, Chilton switched to Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com. Despite a tough season with several retirements, he managed eight top-ten finishes, showing resilience by only finishing outside the points six times. 

Results improved slightly during 2023, but entering his third season with EXCELR8 in 2024, Chilton is eager to improve on his previous finishes of 15th and 14th in the standings with the team.