#3 to be or not to be--- that is the question

Dale Jr in the No. 3

Dale Earnhardt Jr plans to drive the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet one last time Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.

I just want to go to the racetrack and run it once before I retire, and this will probably be it, said Dale Earnhardt Jr. After this Ill probably never drive a car with a 3 on it again.

Earnhardt originally said that he hoped to drive the No. 3 for Richard Childress before his career was over. I just didnt realize it was a one shot deal.

But Childress has a Grandson, Austin Dillon, who currently drives a black No. 3 in the Camping World Truck Series. Dillon is an up and coming driver with a bright future. Is Childress planning to put Austin in the No. 3 Sprint Cup car? After all, the No. 3 was Childresss number before it was Earnhardts.

Or maybe the No. 3 will never be back in Cup or will it,whats your take on the #3, should it be shelved or ---should Jr inherit it or-------is it for Richard to decide the fate . You tell me
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

That is a tough call. No one was a bigger Dale Earnhardt fan than I was. On the one hand, I would like to see the #3 retired..........because there'll never be another Dale Earnhardt. On the other hand, there'll never be another Richard Petty, either (and I was also a Richard Petty fan)..........but the #43 is still on the race tracks. It brings back old memories when I see the #43 racing even though I know it isn't Richard in the car. There are other famous drivers/car numbers..........Fireball Roberts #22, Junior Johnson drove the #3 also, David Pearson #21 (and #17, I think)..........but, again, there'll never be another driver like Earnhardt, in my opinion. I think he & Richard Petty are to NASCAR racing what Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus are to golf. Well, I've rambled here a bit & I'm still no closer to making that call. I don't believe I would be very comfortable being the driver if Childress ever decided to put a black #3 Cup car back on the track.

Ya know to me....I would like to see it more than just Friday, but it's all about money and what the fan's want. 90% of Nascar fans would want to see it on the track. I don't think it should be retired. Because (No offense to Earnhardt fans) But he wasn't the greatest Nascar driver there was. Yeah, I liked him, thought he was a great guy. But it doesn't need to be retired. People like Petty, Pearson, Johnson, etc did more or almost the same kinda stuff. Their numbers aren't retired.

I know the Yellow/Blue was years ago and thats fine by me! BUT, I would love to see that BLACK # 3 come thundering out of the pits, fire licking the night air from the exhaust, the windows so dark you cant see inside.You feel the seats vibrate, the ground quakes, #3 glides out so smooth like its rolling on air, not air as we know it, it doesnt even kick up dust. Down past the start finish line lightning branches through the first turn building speed every second.Turn two lights up as the stealthy black image explodes from the second turn and rockets down the back stretch so fast the white of the legendary #3 on the side looks like its flowing off the rear quarter panel on fire.Turn three is laid waste as you feel the chill run up your spine. All heads are anxiously looking as turn four comes up, never letting off entering turn four, riding down to the bottom of four everyone waits for the black #3 to come blasting out to the front stretch.We wait, we wait, since February 2001 we have waited in hopes to see one more time, #3 roar past us, with that familiar shadow leaning left in that seat.

I saw a blurb on Thursday, July 1, 2010 in which Jr. said this would be the only time. It was to honor his father's induction into the Hall of Fame, he said, and indicated he did not want to be racing with his father's number. Richard owns the number so whatever happens in the future will likely be up to him. So long as he continues to register it every year under his name there isn't much that can be done with 3. My guess is the number means a great deal to Richard since he and Dale, Sr. were friends. I do think that this will be a very emotional race for everyone this year because it will be the old Wrangler paint scheme as well as the number 3 that Jr. will be driving.

Then what team did Jr drive for in 2002 when he drove the #3 1 or 2 times in the Busch series?

May have been DEI but I think it was JR Motorsports. Cody Dinsmore said:

Then what team did Jr drive for in 2002 when he drove the #3 1 or 2 times in the Busch series?