Sunday, February 18, 2018

50-to-1 long shot Austin Dillon wins 2018 Daytona 500

It was 20 years ago Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 finally won the Daytona 500.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla -- Twenty years ago, Dale Earnhardt won the 1998 Daytona 500 in his famed No. 3 car. Three years later, Earnhardt tragically died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Many thought that Earnhardt's No. 3 would never race again in the NASCAR Cup Series ... until Austin Dillon showed up. Dillon, the grandson of Earnhardt's team owner Richard Childress, was tabbed as the man for the job in 2014 and was met with mixed feelings from fans.

"My grandfather has done everything for me and everybody knows it," Dillon said after the race via AP. "There's a lot of pressure on me to perform because I've had a little bit of everything. But I like that pressure, the same with the No. 3, there's a lot of pressure behind it, but I'm willing to take it and go with it."

Dillon was just 7 years old when Earnhardt won that Daytona 500 in 1998 and was in Victory Lane to watch his idol wave the checkered flag. Fast-forward 20 years later and Dillon is the 2018 Daytona 500 champion while driving his idol's No. 3.

READ MORE HERE......CBS SPORTS

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