I wrote an article, recently, about the very probable return of the number 3 being used full-time on a NASCAR Sprint Cup car as early as 2014. The article, “The Famous Number 3 Will Return to NASCAR Sprint Cup Competition” , was based on statements made by Austin Dillon during a question and answer session at Motorsports 2013, a racing show held near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While I expected a good number of comments regarding the subject, I must admit I was rather surprised by the responses.
Dale Earnhardt fans are loyal. That may be the biggest understatement of all time. Many continue to show their allegiance through the clothes they wear to the speedway, the flag they fly outside their home, and their support of his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. Immediately following his tragic death at Daytona many of his fans voiced their opinions that the number 3 should never be run in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition again.
Car owner, and good friend of Dale Earnhardt, may have felt the same way, or just sensed the feelings of the fans. When the team returned to the track with Kevin Harvick behind the wheel, the car carried the same Goodwrench sponsorship, but was now the number 29. A small number 3 continues to adorn the number 29 to this day, as a sort of tribute, or remembrance of “The Man in Black.”
However, when Richard Childress’s grandsons, Austin and Ty Dillon, began climbing to the higher levels of the sport they brought with them the famous number 3. Seems Childress had begun softening his opinion on whether it was okay to have a car on the track with the number 3 that wasn’t driven by an Earnhardt.
Interestingly, as I read the comments from my previous article it seemed the opinion of Dale Earnhardt fans has begun to soften as well.
Ron MacLellan perhaps made the most sense of the situation when he said, “As a long time Earnhardt fan, we have to think if he were alive, he would probably be retired from driving by now, and someone else, maybe Harvick, and now Dillon, would be in the 3.”
He continued to say, “Let’s let Austin make his own mark in the number 3, good or bad. I just hope RCR doesn’t paint it like Earnhardt’s black number 3.”
Another fan, Beverly Brewer, added, “I follow the driver not the number. I followed Dale Jr. when he left DEI, and adopted his new number.”
She also agreed with Mr. MacLellan saying,”I too would not like to see a black number 3.”
These same sentiments were echoed through most of the responses. The focus for many of the fans has seemed to have shifted from the number to the color of the car. There is more of a correlation of the color, and paint scheme that is related to Earnhardt than the number any longer. Whether this is a result of a passing of time, the Dillon brothers’ performance, or a combination of both, more and more diehard Dale Sr. fans are becoming okay with seeing a number 3 in their NASCAR races every wekend.
The number 3 will be back in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition full-time in 2014. However, if Richard Childress has the pulse of long time Dale Earnhardt fans like he did just after the racing legend’s death we may just see it in a different color.
