The scene from Austin Dillon’s rear-view mirror was a thing of beauty.
The sight in front of the 27-year-old — one of Daytona 500 victory — was even sweeter.
“It’s kind of like a dream,” Dillon recalled Thursday, two days prior to Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400. “You come to the checkered flag and all you see is people behind you and nothing in front of you.”
Much ultimately would lay ahead for the reigning 500 champion.
This past February’s win re-established the No. 3 Chevrolet famously driven by the late Dale Earnhardt and carried Dillon to another level in a sport that is in his blood.