[lisas3]

I was a lifelong Earnhardt fan. This being the fifth year since the crash that The Intimidator off the track got me to wondering...
Has enough time expired since Earnhardt died to bring the #3 back? Or should the number be permanently retired from the Winston Cup?

[Lefty Noob]

Hello, lisas3, and welcome to the GoTeamsGo.com community! Personally, I think they ought to permanently retire the 3 car. It just wouldn't be right with somebody else driving it, you know?

[car99fan]

I'd like to see the #3 permanently retired. It just wouldn't be right to see anyone else in it.

[Karlene]

I think perhaps because there are so few numbers to use maybe they could eventually use the 3 again

[pete_b]

Did anyone see Earnhardts wife talk right before Daytona? She was so adamament to anyone else having that number. I think I know how she and other Earnhardt fans feel. Watching someone else with that number run around the track would make their stomach turn. I say use it as a last resort.

[Karlene]

I understand how most Sr fans would hate to see the 3 used again and I have sympathy for them but it's been quite some time and while I know Sr was a quality athlete but isn't retiring a # a bit much?

[lisas3]

Thanks for the friendly welcome!

I am personally of two minds about this topic. Half of me thinks NO WAY should anyone else be driving the #3 but the other half thinks retiring a number in NASCAR could be both tricky and dangerous. Retiring a baseball, basketball, or football number from a team is generally a celebration.

However, to retire a NASCAR number effects all the teams, and what I fear most is that is would spook the drivers. They all go out knowing they could do serious physical damage to themslves, and to add the increased tension of a "ghost car", which it could well become would make it all the more dangerous.

[Team Yates]

I think that there are plenty of numbers to use, before there's a problem. I think of it as an honor to Dale to have his number "retired". It's been said that Jr. will eventually drive the 3 for Childress, so it will be back, in due time. I was a Davey fan, I thought it would have been nice to have the number 28 "retired". I realize that people will say that they weren't in the same "league", but that's only because Davey wasn't here very long. I think the real question should be: why Dale is the "only" driver that ever even gets mentioned, what about Davey, Alan Kulwicki, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Ernie Irvan?

[rmjvol]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, Karlene & lisas3. Glad to have you chatting with us

Team Yates has a good point. It would probably be best if NASCAR would address the idea of when/if/how to retire nascar numbers. On the other hand, the current NASCAR administration hasn't been known for their ability to issue fair, logical & consistent rules.

[Karlene]

I agree Team Yates. I know Dale was a great driver and loved by many, but there are many drivers that are hardly mentioned anymore even though they have passed on as well. I can understand family, friends, and fans that want the number retired but I think it'd be a great honor for Jr to drive the 3 or maybe one of Dales grandkids when they get into the sport.
And thank you very much for the welcome

[rave20]

They all go out knowing they could do serious physical damage to themslves, and to add the increased tension of a "ghost car",
________________________________________________

Ghost car? OK isn't that a little dramatic??

You know the number 3 in the graphic font (and maybe even colors) when it was used by Dale probably should be retired officially or unofficially. The actual number though can be used again and <gasp> even by a non-Earhardt. If you put that on a car in a different font (i.e. round not square) and particularly in different colors it wouldn't even seem like the same number after a few races. How can I say that? Well read on!

First what/who do you think of when you think of the number 11?

Retiring numbers would be hard for several reasons. First where do you start? Do you start with the founders of Nascar like Junior Johnson and the number 11? He drove it and won tons of races with it as driver and owner. Should it go to the driver of the car or the owner if retired? For example the number 11 could be retired as that of Cale Yarborough. After all, when I think of the 11, I think of him in the bright yellow and orange Holly Farms car...man I hated when he won! And man did he win. Of course it was Junior's car he was driving. Then again should Cale's retired number be the 28 that he won so many Daytona races with? Or should that go to Davey Allison?

Maybe the 11 should be retired for DW and his Mountain Dew ride? He won like 3 championships in that number! Oh yeah so did Cale. Oh yeah that was also Junior Johnson's car. Or should DW's retired number be the 17 when he finally won the 500? It was the last number he had. But maybe we should wait and see if Matt Kenseth is an eventual Hall of Famer and let the 17 retire with him? That brings us back to the 11. It looks like Denny Hamlin wil make the 11 famous all over again so we should probably hold onto that one too.

I know. How about we give the Wood brothers a new number and retire the 21? We can use that number for everybody that ever drove for them (which covers almost everyone who was anyone).

Now what about the Earnhardts? If the 8 was retired for Ralph Earnhardt and the 3 for Dale then little E needs to pick one that is left over. That would seem a little weird given all that's happened for him in the 8 already. But hey, it was grampas afterall. Maybe he could just move to the 6.7 from the commercial! Too bad the 11 is taken! Of course Richard Childress will just have to live with the fact that his number (yes it was his long before Dale put it on) will be retired for someone else...who oddly enough drove for him? Hmmm that doesn't really work does it?

By the way what was the criteria for retiring a number?

[sehja]

NO NO NO AND NO. NO SOMEMORE. I understand it's unreasonable to retire every number from every hall of fame driver. But 3 is different. I don't even understand why it needs to be explained why it's different. The man died on the track - on the biggest most important track in NASCAR. He's the NASCAR equivalent of Elvis, JFK and MLK. It's emotional. It's important.

Any team owner who puts a new driver in #3 - no matter how they fancy it up with colors - is going to get cuss mail from me as long as I live. The very idea is tacky, cheesy, selfish and uncalled for.

And you all are free to disagree just so long as you don't mind being wrong.

[rave20]

I don't know I think the Home Depot car with Tony behind the wheel..maybe even painted black with orange trim would look good with a big round 3 on the side!

[Karlene]

Originally Posted by sehja

NO NO NO AND NO. NO SOMEMORE. I understand it's unreasonable to retire every number from every hall of fame driver. But 3 is different. I don't even understand why it needs to be explained why it's different. The man died on the track - on the biggest most important track in NASCAR. He's the NASCAR equivalent of Elvis, JFK and MLK. It's emotional. It's important.

Any team owner who puts a new driver in #3 - no matter how they fancy it up with colors - is going to get cuss mail from me as long as I live. The very idea is tacky, cheesy, selfish and uncalled for.

And you all are free to disagree just so long as you don't mind being wrong.

You're entitled to your opinion but really there are a lot of guys who brought as much to NASCAR or more than Dale Sr did and thier numbers aren't retired.

[Lefty Noob]

Hi, Karlene, and welcome to GoTeamsGo.

You bring up a great point, and I've got a hypothetical for everyone. Say you're in charge of NASCAR for a day. You have the chance to retire five numbers. Which ones do you choose and why?