It has always amazed me how the NASCAR family has a historical reference.
Richard Childress' grandson, Austin Dilon, won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Race championship in the #3 truck.
The last time the #3 was in a NASCAR Nationwide race, it was driven by JR in the Wrangler #3 at Daytona and he WON.
Now Richard Childress wants to run the #3 for his grandson in the Nationwide series next year and he asked Dale, JR and his sister, Kelly, if they were OK with it.
Richard Childress Racing owns the RIGHT to use the #3 number. He and NASCAR allowed JR to run the number on the Nationwide car that won,
RCR really does not NEED to ask their permission or delay the use of the #3; however, Richard Childress knows how the NASCAR world loved Dale's and Kelly's father and he wants to HONOR his memory. When asked if he would be OK with Austin using the #3, Dale, Jr. said
"Yeah, I would. Austin has ran that number and I'm not real sure; I just look at it differently. I don't look at the numbers tied to drivers as much as just the history of the number. The number is more of a bank, you know, that you just deposit history into. It doesn't really belong to any individual. Austin's ran that number and you can't really deny him the opportunity to continue to run it. It just wouldn't be fair. Dad (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) did great things. He was a great ambassador for the sport and we're still as a whole, reaping the benefits of all he accomplished and what he did that put us in front of a lot of people. But even before that, the number was Richard's. Richard drove it. And someone else drove it before then. There's a lot of guys in the fifties and sixties that ran that number with success. So the number is really kind of like a bank and you deposit history into and they don't really belong to the individuals. It's iconic when you put the colors and the style with it; it's a little bit iconic to the sport. Austin is a good kid, He seems to have a great appreciation for what's happening to him and what's going on around him. And I would be happy if he wanted to keep doing that. He kind of had to know when he first started to run that number if he got this far into the deal, he would have to cross a few bridges like that and that was a tough decision I guess at first to start running the number for him; knowing what kind of pressures he might face down the road. But I think it would be fine by me for him to do that. I think that it's got to get back on the race track one of these days. It just can't be gone forever you know?"
Jr. is correct - it is the HISTORY of the number and the drivers who used it that make NASCAR so fantastic for fans of ALL ages!
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