All eyes are on Austin Dillon right now, and although he won the race, it might not be for the best reasons. It was a chaotic finish, to say the least, and wrecking the race leader is not the most noble way to win. But in the end, it was the race car driver’s instincts that kicked in as he pushed through to the finish line. As he took the car through the finish line, he ended up colliding with two cars, putting them out of contention for the win.

Now, the No. 3 car isn’t any stranger to winning races, being the number of legendary Dale Earnhart, and as the vehicle secured a victory with Dillon, it reminded fans of Dale Sr. When this was brought up at the post-race conference, Austin Dillon explained his thoughts while crossing the finish line, and that’s when he made a revelation. He was asked if he thought of Dale Sr when he crossed the finish line, and his answer came as a shock.

Does Austin Dillon believe that he carried Dale Earnhardt’s legacy?

Dale Earnhardt Sr made the No. 3 car famous, and with his reputation as the ‘Intimidator,’ it is only fair that fans see the similarity in driving styles. Although Earnhardt Sr was a 7 Cup series champion and Dillon has started his Cup series career, that too on the back foot, this victory puts him in the playoffs.

After the race, a reporter mentioned Dillon’s grandfather getting on the radio, as he said, “We know how much he loved Earnhardt. How much was that in the back of your mind, or is that in the back of your mind in a situation like this—thinking about the fact that you’re driving the car that Earnhardt made famous and for the guy who made Earnhardt what he was?” Shockingly, Austin Dillon replied, “It never crossed my mind to tell you the truth. It just happened that way.”

He then jumped into Dale Sr’s driving style and stated his thoughts on who has a similar style, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of races with Dale, you know, moving guys, pissing people off, and a lot of people booed him throughout his career. I think Kyle Busch is the closest thing that we’ve had to Dale Earnhardt Sr, but I’m not that; I’m Austin Dillon. And I’m just going to try hard.”

“When I get an opportunity, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. That’s literally what that was on that last lap,” said Dillon, explaining what exactly was running through his mind while he put his car across the finish line. Although Dillon had to fight for it, he did finally win the race and make it to the playoffs. Now that begs the main question: Did Austin Dillon make the right move?

Austin Dillon makes it into the playoffs

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Austin Dillon just beat many drivers who scored more points than him this season, and with NASCAR not issuing any penalties(yet), it looks like he made the right decision for him. It was a gamble, and it paid off for Dillon as the contact with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin was overlooked by the officials. It is unexpected races like this that make the playoff formats so interesting, and now that he is in the playoffs, he only needs to focus on keeping the pace up.

In the post-race presser, the No. 3 Chevy driver later explained, “I didn’t have anything else in mind, and it didn’t matter what anybody said to me. That was the one shot I felt like I had, and I thought I did a good job getting it in there about as deep as I had all night and not spinning out myself.” He did what he had to and won the race.

Clearly, his strategy worked, although not many might agree with it. What matters now is that he is in the top 16, and he has to make the most of this. That being said, do you think that Austin Dillon’s victory was a fair one? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.