DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The No. 3 is No. 1 again at Daytona, on a day, in a race and at a place forever linked with the great Dale Earnhardt.

Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500 on Sunday night driving the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet that Earnhardt piloted for most of his career. Earnhardt was behind the wheel of No. 3 when he won his only Daytona 500 in 1998, and when he was killed in an accident on the final lap of the race three years later.

Dillon's victory, in the 60th running of "The Great American Race," came 17 years to the day of Earnhardt's fatal crash.

"Man, this place is awesome," Dillon said. "I don't know what it is about storylines and Daytona. This place just creates history and I'm proud to be a part of it and make some history here."

Dillon wasn't a factor in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet until the final lap in overtime when he got a push from Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr . that helped him get to leader Aric Almirola. Dillon spun Almirola then whizzed on by to give Childress, his grandfather, another iconic victory in the beloved No. 3.

"My grandfather has done everything for me and everybody knows it," Dillon said. "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 is just the second driver to win the Daytona 500 after leading only the final lap, following Kurt Busch last year, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Austin Dillon won in the No. 3 car made famous by Dale Earnhardt and won two decades after the Hall of Fame driver's lone victory in the Daytona 500. Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

As for the aggressive move that wrecked Almirola? Dillon was doing what has to be done to win at Daytona.

"I think I blacked out and just everything just kind of kept going, and we were staying in the gas, and things were happening fast. The last lap of the Daytona 500, you just don't lift, actually the last couple laps," Dillon said, adding his only other option was to ease off the gas and avoid Almirola.

"I guess I could have lifted and gave it to him," he said. "I guess that was my other option, give up a Daytona 500 ring that I'm wearing. If he needs to do it to (retaliate) at Talladega for everybody to feel good, I've got a Daytona 500 championship trophy, ring, whatever. I don't care. I've got the 3 back in victory lane at Daytona."

Almirola, in his debut race for Stewart-Haas Racing, was devastated.

Congrats @austindillon3 on becoming a #Daytona500 champion. #3 in VL after 20 years. Pretty solid for @RCRracing!! — Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 18, 2018

"My heart is broken. I thought I was going to win the Daytona 500," Almirola said.

Childress was overjoyed.

"To come back 20 years later after Dale's great victory, and to be able to celebrate 20 years later, with my grandson, it is just a storybook tale," Childress said. "It's tough on him running that 3, but we had, I'd say, 97 percent support from Earnhardt fans who wanted him to run that number."

The No. 3 was dormant in the Cup Series from Earnhardt's death until Childress brought it back in 2014 for his grandson.

The final scoring tower showed the No. 3 on top, then the No. 43 -- two of the most seminal numbers in NASCAR.

"I looked up, seen the board up here, the 3 and the 43, I thought, how special is that for the history," Childress said.

Wallace, the first black driver in the Daytona 500 field since 1969, finished second in a 1-2 finish for Chevrolet and Childress' engine program. Wallace drives the No. 43 car for Richard Petty and sobbed in his postrace news conference after his mother came to the front of the room to give him a hug. The two had a long embrace in which she told Wallace repeatedly "you've waited so long, baby."

After another moment with his sister, Wallace sat at the dais sobbing into a towel. His finish is the highest for a black driver; Wendell Scott finished 13th in 1966.

"Pull it together, bud, pull it together. You just finished second," he told himself.

Wallace, from Mobile, Alabama, received a telephone call from Hank Aaron before the race and Lewis Hamilton, the four-time Formula One world champion and only black driver in that series, tweeted his support to Wallace.

Denny Hamlin, the 2016 winner, finished third in a Toyota.

Ryan Blaney, who led a race-high 118 laps, faded to seventh after giving the win away in regulation. He wrecked Kurt Busch, the defending race winner, trying to reclaim his lead and the contact damaged Blaney's Ford. It spoiled what should have been a Team Penske party -- car owner Roger Penske had three contenders, all considered favorites -- but all came up empty. Brad Keselowski wrecked early racing for the lead, and although Joey Logano finished fourth, it wasn't the victory Penske expected from one of his drivers.

"It's a shame you don't close it out, but you try to just learn from your mistakes and try to do better next time," Blaney said. "This one definitely stings, but hopefully we can get another shot at it one day."

The day was also a bust for Danica Patrick, who made the Daytona 500 her final NASCAR race. With new boyfriend NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers cheering her on, Patrick was collected in an accident and finished 35th. The only woman to lead laps in the Daytona 500 and win the pole for this race then told a story about an exchange she had earlier this week with four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon.

"He said his last Daytona didn't go well, either, and I was like, 'Oh wow, I don't remember that. I remember your career.' So I hope that is how it is with me with everybody," she said.

Meanwhile, on this celebratory day for Dillon and Childress, the late Earnhardt had a very large presence.

Dillon was 7 when Earnhardt won his Daytona 500 and was photographed alongside his brother with The Intimidator on that victorious day in 1998. Earnhardt credited 6-year-old Wessa Miller, a fan he met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation following the final practice for the race, for helping him get that elusive win. Wessa gave Earnhardt a penny and told him she had rubbed it and that it would bring him good luck. The lucky penny the little girl gave him is still on the dash of the car at the RCR museum.

Inspired by the good-luck coin, Dillon also had a penny in the No. 3 on Sunday, this one given to him by a young boy he met at an autograph session earlier in Speedweeks.

"I had a fan, actually he had no favorite driver, I told him, I said, 'I'll give you my hat if I'm your favorite driver.' I gave him the hat," Dillon said. "The next day he saw me in the infield, he said, 'Here's a lucky penny I found heads up.' I said, 'Man, we've gotta put that in the car.' Put it in the car and here we are in victory lane."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.</s>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Austin Dillon of Davidson County has won Sunday’s 60th annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway in the No. 3 Chevrolet.

The 27-year-old is the son of former driver and RCR general manager Mike Dillon, older brother of Ty Dillon and grandson of Richard Childress.

Dillon won the Daytona 500 on the 17-year anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death.

Rounding out the top five after Dillon was Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Chris Buescher.</s>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Austin Dillon put the No. 3 back in victory lane in the Daytona 500.

Dillon drove the iconic car number made famous by Dale Earnhardt to the win 17 years to the day the Hall of Famer was killed in an accident on the final lap of the Daytona 500. The win also comes during the 20th anniversary celebration of Earnhardt’s only victory in “The Great American Race.”

Dillon wasn’t a factor in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet until the final lap in overtime when he got a push from Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. that helped him get to leader Aric Almirola. Dillon spun Almirola then whizzed on by to give Childress, his grandfather, an iconic victory in that beloved No. 3.

“My grandfather has done everything for me and everybody knows it,” Dillon said. “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.

As for the aggressive move that wrecked Almirola? Dillon was doing what has to be done to win at Daytona.

“We just had a run and I stayed on the gas. It’s what it is when you’re at Daytona,” he said. “It is so awesome to take the 3 car back to victory lane, 20 years ago. This one’s for Dale Earnhardt Senior and all those Senior fans. I love you guys. We’re going to keep kicking butt the rest of the year.”

Wallace, the first black driver in the Daytona 500 field since 1969, finished second in a 1-2 finish for Chevrolet and Childress’ engine program.

Denny Hamlin, the 2016 winner, finished third in a Toyota.

Ryan Blaney, who led a race-high 118 laps, faded to seventh after giving the win away in regulation. He wrecked Kurt Busch, the defending race winner, trying to reclaim his lead and the contact damaged Blaney’s Ford.</s>Luke covers lifestyle for Verdict. You can reach him at luke.christou@verdict.co.uk

Ryan Blaney may have led the race for 118 laps, but it was Austin Dillon who passed the checkered flag first to claim victory at the 2018 Daytona 500, the 60th running of this prestigious stock car race.

Driving at an average speed of 150.5 mph over the course of the 200 lap race, Dillon was able to pass race leader Aric Almirola in the final lap to claim a last gasp victory.

His victory came in the iconic No. 3 car, which hadn’t been used in 16 years, since 1998 Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt lost his life in the 2001 race.

Almirola ended the race in 11th place, with Darrell Wallace Jr and Denny Hamlin taking second and third respectively.

Speeds during the practice races last week approached the 200 mph mark. Daytona 500’s 38 competitors achieved similar speeds during the main race as they took to the Daytona International Speedway.

With so many cars moving at such speeds with little room to manoeuvre, crashes were as inevitable as ever.

Lap 59 was the first to catch the Daytona 500’s competitors out. Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, William Byron, Ty Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson were caught up in an eight car pile-up.

However, the biggest crash came in lap 198. Kurt Busch, last year’s champion, spun out, taking 11 other drivers out with him. It was this that forced the race into overtime, allowing Dillon to mount his final push and win it after 207 laps.

This is Dillon’s first Daytona 500 victory. He started the 2014 race in pole position, having achieved the fastest time in qualifying. He won his first Monster Energy Series race last year at the Coca-Cola 600.

NASCAR hasn’t released prize money details since the 2015 race. However, Dillon is expected to pocket around $1.5m for his victory.

What was said:

Speaking to NASCAR following the race, Blaney said:

“You can have the best car in the world and not win the race. I thought we had a good car today, but you just try to figure out what you can do better for next time.” 3 Things That Will Change the World Today “Yeah, you’re disappointed, you dominate a good race, but that’s the way it goes.”

After celebrating his victory, Dillon said:

The Daytona 500 is part of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Held each year at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, 40 competitors compete in a 500-mile race to kick off the stock car calendar.

The next race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race will be held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta, on Sunday, 25 February.</s>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Austin Dillon won the 60th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Ryan Blaney spun defending race winner Kurt Busch with two laps to go in regulation, settling off a 12-car melee that included several top contenders.

Pole-sitter Alex Bowman, defending series champion Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Darrell Wallace Jr., Brendan Gaughan, AJ Allmendinger, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Matt DiBenedetto also were caught up in the crash.</s>DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. - The No. 3 is No. 1 again at Daytona, on a day, in a race and at a place forever linked with the great Dale Earnhardt.

Austin Dillon won the Daytona 500 on Sunday night driving the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet that Earnhardt piloted for most of his career. Earnhardt was behind the wheel of No. 3 when he won his only Daytona 500 in 1998, and when he was killed in an accident on the final lap of the race three years later.

Dillon's victory, in the 60th running of "The Great American Race," came 17 years to the day of Earnhardt's fatal crash.

Dillon wasn't a factor in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet until the final lap in overtime when he got a push from Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. that helped him get to leader Aric Almirola. Dillon spun Almirola then whizzed on by to give Childress, his grandfather, another iconic victory in the beloved No. 3.

"My grandfather has done everything for me and everybody knows it," Dillon said. "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."

As for the aggressive move that wrecked Almirola? Dillon was doing what has to be done to win at Daytona.

"We just had a run and I stayed on the gas. It's what it is when you're at Daytona," he said. "It is so awesome to take the 3 car back to victory lane, 20 years ago. This one's for Dale Earnhardt Sr. and all those Senior fans. I love you guys. We're going to keep kicking butt the rest of the year."

"I just, the emotions just flowing, to be able to win, with the 3 car, having it in the winner's circle, my grandson, 20 years after Dale won in '98, so special," Childress said.

The final scoring tower showed the No. 3 on top, then the No. 43 — two of the most seminal numbers in NASCAR.

Wallace, the first black driver in the Daytona 500 field since 1969, finished second in a 1-2 finish for Chevrolet and Childress' engine program. Wallace drives the No. 43 car for Richard Petty and sobbed in his post-race news conference after his mother came to the front of the room to give him a hug. The two had a long embrace in which she told Wallace repeatedly "you finally did it."

After another moment with his sister, Wallace sat at the dais sobbing into a towel. His finish is the highest for a black driver since Wendell Scott was 13th in 1966.

"Pull it together, bud, pull it together. You just finished second," he told himself.

Wallace, from Mobile, Alabama, received a telephone call from Hank Aaron before the race and Lewis Hamilton, the four-time Formula One world champion and only black driver in that series, tweeted his support to Wallace.

Denny Hamlin, the 2016 winner, finished third in a Toyota.

Ryan Blaney, who led a race-high 118 laps, faded to seventh after giving the win away in regulation. He wrecked Kurt Busch, the defending race winner, trying to reclaim his lead and the contact damaged Blaney's Ford. It spoiled what should have been a Team Penske party — car owner Roger Penske had three contenders, all considered favorites Sunday — but all came up empty. Brad Keselowski wrecked early in the race racing for the lead and although Joey Logano finished fourth, it wasn't the victory Penske expected from one of his drivers.

The day was also a bust for Danica Patrick, who made the Daytona 500 her final NASCAR race. With new boyfriend NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers cheering her on, Patrick was collected in an accident and finished 35th.</s>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 the Associated Press. "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.

Here's where the story gets deeper: When Earnhardt won in 1998, he had a "lucky penny" in his car given to him by a then 6-year-old Wessa Miller. On Sunday, Dillon also had a lucky penny in his car.

"We just had a run and I stayed on the gas. It's what it is when you're at Daytona," Dillon said. "It is so awesome to take the 3 car back to victory lane, 20 years ago. This one's for Dale Earnhardt Sr. and all those Senior fans. I love you guys. We're going to keep kicking butt the rest of the year."

Dillon's win on NASCAR's biggest stage in NASCAR's most famous number almost feels like a sign of approval from "The Intimidator" himself and it couldn't have come at a more convenient time. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. now retired from the sport, it was time for someone to step up and usher in the next era of stock-car racing.

On Sunday, NASCAR's younger generation -- led by Dillon -- did just that. Behind Dillon, rookie Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. finished second while 24-year-old Ryan Blaney secured the most laps led with 118. Wallace is the first full-time African American driver in the sport since 1971 and Blaney is coming off a strong playoff season.

But it wasn't only in success where the younger generation succeeded in capturing the hearts of fans either. Gasps could be heard from the Daytona International Speedway crowd when 22-year-old Chase Elliott went spinning earlier in the race.

If anyone was worried about who would step up in Dale Jr.'s absence, fear no more. These young NASCAR drivers are here to stay, and here to make names for themselves as the Earnhardt name and number continues to live on at the same time.</s>The time stamp was etched in tears of joy and pain, a throwback number and the memory of a NASCAR icon and ties that bind forevermore.

Austin Dillon strolled into Daytona’s victory circle 20 years ago as a seven-year-old smitten by all the confetti and champagne and celebratory hugs to celebrate a man called Dale Earnhardt.

That champion was his grandfather’s best friend, and a man who drove granddaddy’s car really fast.

“I was just having fun collecting hats and crawling on the trophy,” Dillon said.

Two decades later, the world is celebrating the rise of Austin Dillon as a speed-racer and the winner of the 60th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon.

The pain comes with the memory that Earnhardt died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Dillon burned a “3” into the infield on his victory spin to honor a man who is family, and always will be.

“I know he’s smiling down on us in victory,” said Richard Childress, Dillon’s grandfather and Earnhardt’s car owner..

The victory will also include the controversial context of Dillon making a move on Aric Almirola on the last lap, getting to Almirola’s bumper and knocking him out of the way.

Dillon only led that last lap, but it was the only one that mattered. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace was second, followed by Denny Hamlin. Ryan Blaney led a race-high 118 laps but finished seventh.

“I guess I could have lifted and gave it to him,” Dillon said. “That was my other option. Give up the Daytona 500 ring that I’m wearing. I’m glad he’s not mad. If he needs to do it to me at Talladega to make people feel good, I have a Daytona 500 championship, trophy, ring, whatever.

“I got the 3 back in Victory Lane at Daytona. It feels pretty good.”

Not so much for Almirola, who handled the disappointment with a gentlemanly perspective.

“It was the last lap and we’re all trying to win the Daytona 500,” he said. “It’s the biggest race of the year and it’s a career-changing race, so we were just racing really aggressively.”

Dillon, 27, has traveled a demanding path since 2013 when, with the Earnhardt’s family blessings, he took on the No. 3 in the Cup series.

It was a long journey for the Childress and Earnhardt family. Childress was so despondent and devastated after Earnhardt’s death that he stood on the deck of Bill France Jr.’s yacht near Daytona Beach ready to walk away from the sport.

Then he recalled a hunting trip to New Mexico with Earnhardt in the 1980s, and Earnhardt’s cantankerous voice came to life.

They were climbing a mountain. Their horses were bridle-less. Dale’s horse started slipping and started rearing up, back toward Childress, who had no choice but to jump off the mountain. The horse went flying with him, but they were both fortunate they were caught in a cluster of trees.

They were laughing about it later that night over a few adult beverages. Earnhardt called it the “great horse wreck.” And then things got serious.

“You know, Dale, if I got killed on the mountain today you’d have to race Phoenix,” Childress said.

Earnhardt looked Childress in the eye and said: “If it ever happens to me, you’d better race.”

They have kept racing, Childress with his team and his grandsons, Austin and Ty. Dale Earnhardt Jr. kept racing until the end of the 2017 season when multiple concussions forced him to walk away before things got fuzzy permanently.

Dale Jr. came back Sunday as the Grand Marshal for the race, reflecting on his father’s death, saying that he has made his peace with Daytona. He chooses to embrace this place for all the good things that have happened here.

Childress said he fell in love with the place in 1965 when he came to Daytona and slept in a tent off Nova Road. The love was broken in 2001, ever so briefly, but it came back just as quickly.

There were magical sparks once again Sunday, with the ending scripted by a kid who made an aggressive move reminiscent of a NASCAR legend named 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.

HEMBREE: Daytona 500 lives up to billing with wild finish

“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.”

“Being able to win with the 3 car 20 years after Dale won in ’98 is so special,” Childress said. “I can’t let the fans know enough how special this is.”

Right behind Dillon was rookie Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., the first African- American driver to race full time on NASCAR’s premier series since Wendell Scott in 1971. His second-place finish was the highest for an African American since Scott finished 13th in 1966.

Wallace received a phone call before the race from fellow Mobile native and baseball legend Hank Aaron, who gave him some quick words of inspiration. Wallace was driving the iconic No. 43 car that Richard Petty drove to a record seven Daytona 500 victories.

DANICA: Patrick's NASCAR career comes to a close with crash

Wallace and his mother, Desiree, embraced and cried in the media center afterward.

The Vegas betting favorite, Brad Keselowski, went down halfway through the race. He was not a happy camper.

“We had a great car and were in a great position,” Keselowski said. “I guess that’s the way it goes. There was nothing I could do. We were all wrecked.”

That’s the kind of day it was at stock-car racing’s most famous track Sunday.</s>Austin Dillon won the Dayton 500 on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway in Florida, holding off Darrell Wallace Jr. and Denny Hamlin to claim his first win at the race in a wild evening at the track.

A major crash impacted the end of the race and sent it into overtime, as multiple cars collided with one another and showered the track in sparks with just two laps to go.

It was one of three major wrecks on the evening. NASCAR shared the wild finish to the race:

Dillon, who only led in the race's final lap in overtime, could hardly believe he had pulled off the win:

The victory took on added significance, as Dillon was driving the No. 3 car for Richard Childress Racing, the same car that legendary deceased driver Dale Earnhardt once drove.

Dillon's celebration after the win paid tribute to the racing icon:

"It was so awesome to take the No. 3 car back to victory lane 20 years later," Dillon said after the race, per NASCAR. "This one is for Dale Earnhardt Sr. and all those Sr. fans. I love you guys, we're gonna keep kicking butt the rest of the year."

His victory wasn't without some controversy, however, as Aric Almirola lost the lead in overtime after being spun out and hitting the wall:

Wallace finished in second and Hamlin in third, with Joey Logano and Chris Buescher rounding out the top five. For the full race results, be sure to check out NASCAR.com.

Wallace's finish also was a piece of history, as Matt Weaver of Autoweek noted:

Kurt Busch was the Stage 1 winner, while Ryan Blaney won the second stage.

The race was defined by its wrecks, however, including one that took out Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick in one fell swoop:

For Patrick, the crash represented the end of her NASCAR career, as the Daytona 500 was her final race. After her wreck in the pileup following the crash, she spoke on the Fox broadcast (h/t Jerry Bonkowski of Yahoo Sports):

"I said earlier today that I feel like the whole thing was picture perfect with GoDaddy on the car, and it being that green again. It just wasn't meant to be today.

"I am proud we raced the whole race other than a little bit at the end of that first stage when it looked silly with all the cars with tires and no tires. Other than that, we raced it and the car was competitive. That is all you can do. That is the gamble at Daytona. It can go so well; and it can go so awful. … I'm just sad that it ended that way."

Patrick is planning on ending her racing career in May at the Indianapolis 500.

That wasn't the only wreck, as Stage 1 ended with a major pileup:

In total, Blaney, Busch, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr., Logano, Ryan Newman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Wallace, Brendan Gaughan, AJ Allmendinger, Jeffrey Earnhardt and Matt DiBenedetto were all caught up in that crash.

Suffice to say, this year's iteration of the Daytona 500 wasn't without its drama or highly aggressive driving. When the literal smoke cleared, though, it was Dillon who escaped with the win.
Austin Dillon wins the 60th Daytona 500.