When the NASCAR Hall Of Fame opens next year in Charlotte, there's little doubt that Dale Earnhardt will be one of the first 5 people inducted. But what should also happen, is that NASCAR should retire the #3!
Now I've heard people who are against such a thing as they say that if NASCAR begins to retire car numbers, that eventually one day there won't be enough numbers left to go around. I say that I find that argument completely ridiculous. First off, just because you retire one number does not mean that there will be an onslaught of numbers that will be "nominated" for retirement. Sure the King's number would probably end up being retired as well, but there aren't many more after that. Perhaps a few.
Second, there probably will never be much more than the 43 car field that NASCAR fields now in the Cup Series. Back in the day you'd see upwards of 60 cars, but for the most part those days are long gone. Therefore, with NASCAR unlikely to field "3-digit" cars, you have over 50 "un-used" numbers with which to allow car number changes and number retirement. At the rate at which car numbers would be retired, it would be a few hundred years before it really became a problem, but doubtful.
Third, is that even if the #3 isn't retired, who's going to be crazy enough to be the first person to get into a car with the #3 painted on the side of it? It's even weird to see #3 cars in other series', let alone seeing it again in the Sprint Cup Series. Now we all know that RCR maintains the rights to the #3 and there have been rumours that Childress will perhaps give the #3 to his grandson, Austin Dillon, but that's an awful lot of pressure to put on somebody, and some would even suggest it could be bad luck.
In conclusion, with what Dale Earnhardt did in the sport of NASCAR both on and off the track, and with the tragic and dramatic way in which he died, it only makes sense that NASCAR honour it's greatest fallen hero by retiring the #3 on the day that the Hall Of Fame opens.
Now I've heard people who are against such a thing as they say that if NASCAR begins to retire car numbers, that eventually one day there won't be enough numbers left to go around. I say that I find that argument completely ridiculous. First off, just because you retire one number does not mean that there will be an onslaught of numbers that will be "nominated" for retirement. Sure the King's number would probably end up being retired as well, but there aren't many more after that. Perhaps a few.
Second, there probably will never be much more than the 43 car field that NASCAR fields now in the Cup Series. Back in the day you'd see upwards of 60 cars, but for the most part those days are long gone. Therefore, with NASCAR unlikely to field "3-digit" cars, you have over 50 "un-used" numbers with which to allow car number changes and number retirement. At the rate at which car numbers would be retired, it would be a few hundred years before it really became a problem, but doubtful.
Third, is that even if the #3 isn't retired, who's going to be crazy enough to be the first person to get into a car with the #3 painted on the side of it? It's even weird to see #3 cars in other series', let alone seeing it again in the Sprint Cup Series. Now we all know that RCR maintains the rights to the #3 and there have been rumours that Childress will perhaps give the #3 to his grandson, Austin Dillon, but that's an awful lot of pressure to put on somebody, and some would even suggest it could be bad luck.
In conclusion, with what Dale Earnhardt did in the sport of NASCAR both on and off the track, and with the tragic and dramatic way in which he died, it only makes sense that NASCAR honour it's greatest fallen hero by retiring the #3 on the day that the Hall Of Fame opens.
