Cheer the 3.
What does it mean to you? For many in my
dad’s generation the 3 is Dale Earnhardt. For my generation the 3 is Dale
Earnhardt…AND Austin Dillon. How the next generation answers that question is
yet to be determined, but Richard Childress’ decision to put the 3 back on the
track insures that Dale Earnhardt’s legacy will be remembered by NASCAR fans
for years.
For many fans,
the 3 car was what brought them into NASCAR and made them fall in love with the
sport. The same is true for me. My dad was, and still is, a loyal Earnhardt
fan. He was in the stands when Dale
Earnhardt finally won the 1998 Daytona 500. And when Earnhardt died, I have been told it
was like a family member had died. Although I was only two years old in 2001 and
do not remember watching Dale Earnhardt race, I have come to understand why
people feel such an attachment to the number since I have been a fan of NASCAR
for my whole life. I know that the sport I love would not be what
it is today without Dale Earnhardt.
The 3 was
Dale Earnhardt’s coat of arms. And
before him, it was Richard Childress’. Now
it is being passed down to Austin Dillon. He will create his own legacy in the
car and also pay tribute to Dale Earnhardt while doing so. Racing the 3 is a
way to honor Dale Earnhardt, not a way to replace him. Austin
Dillon driving the 3 car is a thread to connect the past, present, and future
of NASCAR. How will future generations
know of the legacy if we keep the number’s story off the track? Every time the 3 rolls through Turn 4 of
Daytona International Speedway in February, everyone’s minds will turn to Dale
Earnhardt.
My generation
knows the legacy of the Earnhardt 3 because we learned it from our parents and from
watching and reading about NASCAR. It is my generation’s responsibility to pass
down the history of the sport to future generations. Some day when we are watching a race with our
kids and they wonder why we get emotional when Austin Dillon’s 3 takes the
checkered flag, we’ll tell them the story of Dale Earnhardt.
