#3 Poised for Return to Cup Circuit?

Richard Childress "hinted" in Kentucky that the #3 might return to NASCAR Cup racing.

This "news" could polarize some fans down the way. Car numbers, of course, are owned by NASCAR and it is always their right to issue them however they please.

Some car numbers have been synonymous with particular drivers or teams. Although I remember the #3 enjoying great success on cars campaigned by Ray Fox and associate it still with Junior Johnson and Charlie Glotzbach, we all know that in recent years the number was used by the Richard Childress organization in Cup racing, first by Richard and later by Dale Earnhardt when Wrangler talked Richard into moving Dale into his car during the 1981 racing season.

Say #43 and we think of Richard Petty. Say #21 and we think of Wood Brothers.

When Glen Wood agreed during negotiations by his sons Eddie and Len and agent Jack Arute to run car #7 for the 1985 NASCAR Cup season with sponsorship from 7-Eleven and Kyle Petty driving, it was only after I had extracted a "gentleman's agreement" from Bill France, Jr. for #7 to be issued to Glen and that the #21 would be held in reserve and be available to Glen when he again desired to use the number.

During the 1985 and 1986 season, Glen agreed to let former Wood Brothers' driver, David Pearson use the #21, first with David, then with son, Larry in the Chattanooga Chew car.

When Southland Corporation sold its CITGO subsidiary, CITGO continued the Wood Brothers sponsorship for 1987 with the return of #21 on the Kyle Petty / Wood Brothers entry and David Pearson's family team moving to #16. The Wood family - the team today technically is owned by Glen's three children, Kim, Eddie & Len (Leonard has no ownership in the team and never has) - has again run #21 every year since.

If I had it to do over again, I wish we (7-Eleven) had not pushed Glen Wood to run #7 on his car. I still feel bad about that 27 years later. It was a crappy move by us at 7-Eleven.

The door left open on the return of No. 3 ?
By Jim Utter - jutter@charlotteobserver.com
Saturday, Jun. 30, 2012

SPARTA, Ky. - There was no mistaking what was heard from Richard Childress.

It was the sound of the door being left open as to whether he would run a No. 3 car in the Sprint Cup Series in the future.

Well after his grandson, Austin Dillon, earned his first Nationwide Series victory Friday night at Kentucky Speedway in the No. 3 Chevrolet, Childress was asked again of the possibility of Dillon or someone else running the number in Cup.

The late Dale Earnhardt drove the stylized black No. 3 Chevrolet for most of his NASCAR career, winning six of his record seven championships with Childress. Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap wreck in the 2001 Daytona 500.

"I look at the No. 3 as family. I drove it, I was fortunate. I didn't do near as good as some of these other drivers did," Childress said. "It's special because you have so many fans who want to see the No. 3 and then you have some who question running the No. 3.

"I wouldn't let anyone else other than an Earnhardt or a Dillon drive the No. 3 in Trucks. Once we get done with the Trucks with Ty and Austin, no one will drive the No. 3 in Trucks again unless it's one of their kids or an Earnhardt."

But what about Cup?

Austin Dillon won the Truck series championship last season driving the No. 3 and is driving the same number in Nationwide this season. Could he take the No. 3 to the Cup series one day?

"Dale Earnhardt made that stylized No. 3 famous and we don't have any intentions of running that stylized No. 3 in Cup," he said. "We don't have any intentions but that always leaves an opening. Right now we don't have any intentions of running that stylized No. 3 in Cup."

Childress paused for a moment.

"That leaves an opening, doesn't it?" he said.

Austin Dillon, whose eyes got wider the longer his grandfather spoke on the subject, said quickly, "We'll talk later."

Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/06/30/90532/the-door-left-open-on-the-return.html#storylink=cpy

I can remember many non-race fans walking into our Eagles Lodge or Moose Club on Sunday afternoon during a race. Invariably they asked one of two questions -

* Where's Earnhardt?

* Where's the 3?

Didn't matter if they loved or hated him, they wanted to know where he was.

I think one day he'll run it again and has every right to run it.

I say it is time to bring the 3 back. I do not think we should retire numbers. Just my take there. Only way to carry the memory on is to see that number on the track and not hung on some banner or sign. What would happen if we retire the 3, then others would want numbers retired. I say put it back on the track where it belongs. I am sure Dale Sr would say the same too. Dale Jr said it best in that commercial, "He would want us all to move on" BRING THE 3 BACK. Childress can do what he wants.

I agree with you all on this one.

While Dale was the most visable driver of the number #3, It is a Richard Childress number and to use it as a 'family' number is admirable.

In my humble opinion (and that's not easy being The Legend), it is time the Richard Childress number 3 returns to the track. It has been gone too long. Sure, Dale, Sr. made it famous and copyrighted the style thanks to his wife. However, my take differs a little. When The King retired, he put Rick Wilson in number 44, not wanting to put the pressure on Wilson to run 43. NASCAR allegedly told Richard that he either run the 43 in 1994 or lose the number. I always understood NASCAR owns the numbers and it always bothered me that the 3 was unofficially retired when no other number has been. Just saying............

Hope Paul Goldsmith don't get mad.

No comments on the driver of the black #3 Chevrolet, Paul Goldsmith, or his legendary car owner?

That's the point, 3 has been a famous and popular number, used by a lot of famous drivers and car owners for a long time, and has always moved along to the next one, so I see no reason why it shouldn't now.