C’Mon NASCAR…No One Should Ever Drive No. 3!

Maybe it’s me Eye on Sports fans, but there is no way I can agree with NASCAR’s decision to let Richard Childress put Dale Earnhardt’s beloved No. 3 car back on the track, particularly for a relative in grandson, Austin Dillon.

''I know in my heart, today, as I sit here, Dale Earnhardt is smiling down,'' Childress said at the unveiling of Dillon’s No. 3 on Wednesday. ''He would want to see this 3. He didn't want it to ever go away. But I felt it was the thing to do right after Daytona, and I know today that he's accepting this highly. I knew him that well.''

Yes, I know that Childress knew Earnhardt extremely well and says ‘the Intimidator’ would give his blessings to this move, but I still disagree vehemently.

Certain athletes have made such indelible impacts on their franchises or respective sport, that they alone should be remembered in the form of having their uniform, or in this case, car number retired.

Think about it Eye on Sports fans, isn’t having your jersey retired one of the greatest honors that any athlete could ever receive?

Can you imagine anyone else wearing Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, which was retired league-wide by MLB in 1997? Likewise, can you imagine another hockey player ever wearing Wayne Gretzky’s beloved No. 99 jersey, which was also retired by the NHL back in 1999? How about Magic Johnson’s No. 32 or Larry Bird’s No. 33?

I can’t nor do I want to see another player wearing their jersey numbers. I can go on and on naming great athletes that are forever linked with their respective jersey or car numbers and remain perplexed as to why NASCAR never honored the beloved Earnhardt by forever retiring his famous No. 3 car.

''My grandfather has done a great job of teaching me how to handle certain responses to things, and I think we're going to go forward with it,'' Dillon said. ''I've heard a lot of good feedback from the fans, and every time I'm at an autograph session I've had someone ask what's going to happen. They are excited and we are, too, at RCR. It's what our sport was built on - family and history - and a great opportunity for all of our sport to see this No. 3 back on the track.''

Dale Earnhardt won a whopping seven Cup titles and was a first ballot Hall of Famer that died way too soon. If Richard Childress and NASCAR want to properly honor their late, beloved legend, then they should retire his No. 3 car forever. As we all know, there will forever, be only one Intimidator. 

What do you think? Should NASCAR retire Dale Earnhardt's famed No.3 car?