Countdown to Daytona: Austin Dillon ready to defend his title

Austin Dillon’s fairy tale final lap to win last year’s Daytona 500 could just be a sign of things to come for the grandson of Richard Childress. 

Dillon sat down with Countdown to Daytona’s Dan Lucas to reminisce about the moment he realized he claimed the checkered flag.

“Going down the backstretch, when [Bubba Wallace] gave me that shove, I knew we had the momentum we needed to complete the pass [of Aric Almirola],” said Dillon. “I had all the momentum I needed.”

“That’s such a surreal position to be in, it’s like a dream come true,” said Dillon of crossing the finish line.

Dillon won the Big Race twenty years after Earnhardt did, following his family’s legacy of not just winning in Daytona, but doing so in the storied number-3 car.

“To bring home another one for [Richard Childress Racing], it felt great,” said Dillon.