How fitting that this topic would be discussed on week three.
The famed black number 3 was made famous by the late NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. Since his death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the number has not been used on any race vehicle in any of NASCAR’s three largest series. According to NASCAR.com (2009), that will change on Saturday, September 5, 2009 when the NASCAR truck racing series takes the green flag at Iowa Speedway.
Piloting the number 3 truck in Iowa will be Austin Dillion. Austin is the grandson of Richard Childress. Richard was the car owner of the number 3 car during its glory days while Earnhardt piloted the machine up until his death in that same black number 3 car. Prior to Earnhardt driving the number 3, Richard Childress himself drove the machine before he stepped aside as a driver and focused on the role of team owner and manager. When the 3 truck takes the track at Iowa, it will be adorned with decals commemorating the 40th anniversary of Richard Childress Racing. What a fitting tribute to acknowledge a longevity feat by using the flagship number that was the most identifiable of the team.
Many NASCAR purists will argue that the number 3 should not be used again, except if Dale Earnhardt Jr. would like to take a few laps later in his career as a fitting tribute to his late father. NASCAR fans are loyal to the numbers and the driver that steers the machine. According the Marty Smith (2009), the most famous three cars and numbers in NASCAR history are the blue 43 that Richard Petty drove, the black 3 of Dale Earnhardt Sr., and the red 8 that Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove.
NASCAR is not the only sport that focuses on numbers. I was a baseball player and always wore number 6, except for my freshman year of college when because of the number already being assigned I was forced to wear an upside down six. This infatuation with the number crossed over into my NASCAR fandom and I instantly became a fan of the driver of the 6 car, at the time Mark Martin. Any of you that follow NASCAR, realize that Mark no longer drives the 6 car; however, the number infatuation did stop. Some NASCAR fans will tell you that they follow the driver, not the car or the manufacturer. This is the case that led to my wife and me driving nearly 700 miles in April 2009 to personally meet Mark Martin, driver of the 5 car.
The argumentative side would push that in NASCAR, the number of the car is its brand, similar to the wishbone C of the Chicago Bears or the star of the Dallas Cowboys. However, who owns that brand, the driver or the car owner? The car owner leases the use of the number and trademarks its font and appearance. The driver is best identified with the number. This became a hot topic when Dale Earnhardt Jr. no longer was the 8 and Tony Stewart no longer was the 20. For the driver to take their number to another car would be similar to an ex-employee of McDonalds to take the golden arches to their next place of employment.
References
Author, N. (2009, September 1). Number 3 returns to track. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from NASCAR.com: http://www.nascar.com
Smith, M. (2009, April 15). News that EGR plans to park to the 8 car until sponsorship is secured. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from ESPN: http://www.espn.com
Piloting the number 3 truck in Iowa will be Austin Dillion. Austin is the grandson of Richard Childress. Richard was the car owner of the number 3 car during its glory days while Earnhardt piloted the machine up until his death in that same black number 3 car. Prior to Earnhardt driving the number 3, Richard Childress himself drove the machine before he stepped aside as a driver and focused on the role of team owner and manager. When the 3 truck takes the track at Iowa, it will be adorned with decals commemorating the 40th anniversary of Richard Childress Racing. What a fitting tribute to acknowledge a longevity feat by using the flagship number that was the most identifiable of the team.
Many NASCAR purists will argue that the number 3 should not be used again, except if Dale Earnhardt Jr. would like to take a few laps later in his career as a fitting tribute to his late father. NASCAR fans are loyal to the numbers and the driver that steers the machine. According the Marty Smith (2009), the most famous three cars and numbers in NASCAR history are the blue 43 that Richard Petty drove, the black 3 of Dale Earnhardt Sr., and the red 8 that Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove.
NASCAR is not the only sport that focuses on numbers. I was a baseball player and always wore number 6, except for my freshman year of college when because of the number already being assigned I was forced to wear an upside down six. This infatuation with the number crossed over into my NASCAR fandom and I instantly became a fan of the driver of the 6 car, at the time Mark Martin. Any of you that follow NASCAR, realize that Mark no longer drives the 6 car; however, the number infatuation did stop. Some NASCAR fans will tell you that they follow the driver, not the car or the manufacturer. This is the case that led to my wife and me driving nearly 700 miles in April 2009 to personally meet Mark Martin, driver of the 5 car.
The argumentative side would push that in NASCAR, the number of the car is its brand, similar to the wishbone C of the Chicago Bears or the star of the Dallas Cowboys. However, who owns that brand, the driver or the car owner? The car owner leases the use of the number and trademarks its font and appearance. The driver is best identified with the number. This became a hot topic when Dale Earnhardt Jr. no longer was the 8 and Tony Stewart no longer was the 20. For the driver to take their number to another car would be similar to an ex-employee of McDonalds to take the golden arches to their next place of employment.
References
Author, N. (2009, September 1). Number 3 returns to track. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from NASCAR.com: http://www.nascar.com
Smith, M. (2009, April 15). News that EGR plans to park to the 8 car until sponsorship is secured. Retrieved September 2, 2009, from ESPN: http://www.espn.com
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