#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., recently met with members of the media at Homestead-Miami Speedway and discussed a few topics, including Austin Dillon in the #3 and the history of the number, from the transcript in part:
Q) RICHARD CHILDRESS TELLS US THAT HE ASKED YOU AND (SISTER) KELLEY IF IT WOULD BE ALL RIGHT IF HIS GRANDSON RAN THE #3 IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES NEXT YEAR. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF IN THREE OR FOUR YEARS HE SAID HE WANTED TO MOVE AUSTIN DILLON UP TO SPRINT CUP RACING AND HE’D LIKE TO TAKE THAT #3. WOULD YOU BE COOL WITH THAT?
Earnhardt Jr. “Yeah, I would. Austin has ran that number and I’m not real sure; I just look at it differently. I don’t look at the numbers tied to drivers as much as just the history of the number. The number is more of a bank, you know, that you just deposit history into. It doesn’t really belong to any individual. Austin’s ran that number and you can’t really deny him the opportunity to continue to run it. It just wouldn’t be fair. Dad (Dale Earnhardt Sr.) did great things. He was a great ambassador for the sport and we’re still as a whole, reaping the benefits of all he accomplished and what he did that put us in front of a lot of people. But even before that, the number was Richard’s. Richard drove it. And someone else drove it before then. There’s a lot of guys in the fifties and sixties that ran that number with success. So the number is really kind of like a bank and you deposit history into and they don’t really belong to the individuals. It’s iconic when you put the colors and the style with it; it’s a little bit iconic to the sport. Austin is a good kid, He seems to have a great appreciation for what’s happening to him and what’s going on around him. And I would be happy if he wanted to keep doing that. He kind of had to know when he first started to run that number if he got this far into the deal, he would have to cross a few bridges like that and that was a tough decision I guess at first to start running the number for him; knowing what kind of pressures he might face down the road. But I think it would be fine by me for him to do that. I think that it’s got to get back on the race track one of these days. It just can’t be gone forever you know?”(Team Chevy)(11-20-2011)
