Austin Dillon's Daytona 500 win special for his family and Dale Earnhardt's

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It was a battle of attrition Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

One by one, or at times, 4 by 4, the big boys, the betting favorites, went down in a heap of sparks, skid marks and twisted metal. By the time it ended, 25 of the 40 cars were still running, many of them badly damaged. Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick and many others ended their day early. For Johnson, a two-time winner, it was his third wreck this week.

In the end, 27-year-old Austin Dillon confounded the experts by taking the checkered flag for his first Daytona 500 victory and his second win in 159 races on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Dillon won NASCAR’s most prestigious race by driving the No. 3 to victory 20 years after Dale Earnhardt Sr. captured his only Daytona 500 title in the same car. Dillon, whose brother Ty was also in the race, drives for his grandfather, Richard Childress, who was the team owner for Earnhardt during six of his record-tying seven Cup Series championships.
It was Earnhardt’s son Dale Jr., who started the race by saying “Drivers, start your engines.”

Dillon won in the first overtime when leader Aric Almirola crashed after being pushed by Dillon while taking the white flag.

The final lap was the only one Dillon led the entire race, just as Kurt Busch did in 2017.

HIGHLIGHTS: Dillon wins Daytona 500 after overtime crash

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“I said my first win (the 2017 Coca-Cola 600) I couldn’t beat it, but this does,” Dillon said. “My grandfather has done everything for me. Everybody knows it. There is a lot of pressure on me to preform because I have had a little bit of everything. But I like that pressure.

“The same with the No 3. There is a lot of pressure behind that. But I’m willing to take that and go with it. I’m just thankful for all the people that support us along the way. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his family for letting us bring this number back. It comes full circle.”

Source :- usatoday