Jeff Owens: Should RCR’s black No. 3 return to NASCAR’s Cup series?
COMMENTARY
When Austin Dillon hits the track at Daytona in the Camping World Truck Series, he will be wheeling a black No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing.
The kind made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt.
Check that. It was not just famous, it was legendary; it was iconic. And if there is a word that means greater than legendary or greater than iconic, it was that, too.
Though Dillon will be driving a NASCAR truck instead of a Cup car, it is the color scheme and the combination that bears such significance.
Earnhardt drove a black No. 3 Chevy for most of his career. He made the look the most menacing, most mysterious, most intriguing combination in racing.
It was his car, and the way he drove it, that made him “The Intimidator” and “The Man in Black.”
Childress still owns the rights to the number, and has used it from time to time since Earnhardt’s death in 2001.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced a No. 3 Nationwide Series car for RCR in 2002. And Dillon, Childress’ grandson, has used the No. 3 since he started racing, including in a handful of truck races last year.
Now the black No. 3 will be on the track every week as Dillon plans to run the full truck series schedule this season.
Though seeing the No. 3 on the side of a black truck is different than seeing it on a black car, the scheme still brings back vivid memories, especially for long-time Earnhardt fans.
So that begs the question, will a black No. 3 ever be raced in NASCAR’s Cup series again?
Or, more importantly, should it?
Opinions vary greatly.
Kevin Harvick, who replaced Earnhardt at RCR after his death, says the No. 3 should be retired like famous numbers in other sports.
Teammate Jeff Burton says the No. 3 should absolutely be raced in the Cup series again – under the right circumstances.
“The 3 has a history to it and it has a heritage to it, and that history and heritage is not only linked to Dale Earnhardt but to Richard Childress Racing,” Burton said. “They collectively made the 3 a symbol of success and a commitment to do everything it took to win. … It is such a huge part of our sport, it should only be back in the right situation.”
What is the right situation?
“I don’t know,” Burton says. “It has to be a special situation. … With Richard Childress involved, the Earnhardt legacy has to be involved, all those things have to come together. If all those things come together, it is not only a good thing to do, it is the right thing to do.”
The perfect scenario, of course, is for Earnhardt Jr. to move to Richard Childress Racing and drive a black No. 3.
That may or may not be a possibility. If Earnhardt Jr. turns things around at Hendrick Motorsports, he likely will end his career there.
If he doesn’t? Who knows?
Childress says he has no plans to ever bring the black No. 3 back to the Cup series, but also adds, “You never say never. You never know what we may do.”
He agrees that it would have to be the perfect situation, something with an Earnhardt involved.
“If an Earnhardt comes along some day, a grandson or a great grandson or whatever, you never know,” he says.
But should it come back?
Some fans would love to see a black No. 3 race in the Cup series again, allowing them to relive the memories of Earnhardt’s heroics.
Others hope it never returns, fearing that it would tarnish his legacy or just be too painful.
If you’re a die-hard Earnhardt fan, where do you stand?
Personally, I’d love to see it come back. It would be good for the sport, giving long-time fans another chance to remember a legend, and newer fans the chance to learn about the Earnhardt mystique and one of NASCAR’s greatest eras.
The black No. 3 was a symbol of excellence and an iconic image.
That still has a place in the sport.
