By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. — Austin Dillon made 12-year-old Jordan Wade’s afternoon magical at the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday, where he surprised the young fan with his own Daytona 500 champion’s ring.
In 2018, Dillon won the 500-mile race for Richard Childress Racing, scoring his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win to start the new year.
What many people didn’t see was the small token of good luck placed into his No. 3 Chevrolet prior to the Great American Race. The story started the weekend of the 2018 Advance Auto Parts Clash, where Dillon first met Jordan.
“Jordan had a Ford hat on and I knew it was given to him,” Dillon said Tuesday. “I knew he didn’t go get that hat. I said, ‘Man, you need a better hat. I want to be your favorite driver. I’ll give you my hat if I’m your guy.’
“He kind of broke down, he was so excited and happy about it. He’s really into his feelings. He’s a good boy.”
Following the first encounter, Dillon met back up with Wade the next day.
“He had something for me. He gave me a penny. He wanted me to have it,” he said. “I said, ‘Do you know the story about Dale Earnhardt?’ He didn’t know so I knew this was definitely fate. It was going in the car.
“We end up winning the 500 and the story grows from here. He’s got a Daytona 500 ring on him now so that’s cool, too.”
Indeed, the moment of the afternoon at Disney World was when Dillon surprised Wade during a photo opportunity with the Daytona 500 trophy. From there, Dillon presented him with his ring before touring the park and testing out a couple rides.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been at Disney World,” Dillon said. “It’s just special, it makes you smile. God has blessed me with a lot of things. Any time I can shine his light on others, I’m so thankful for everything I get to do. To give back a little bit, I wish I could do more of this. it definitely made my week here in Daytona. Hopefully it made his.
“He was a part of it all. This kind of finishes it and brings it full-circle.”
