ESPN Classic - Fans hope to keep outsiders out of No. 3

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Friday, February 23, 2001
Fans hope to keep outsiders out of No. 3
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

Officials of NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing Enterprises are faced with a decision to either retire Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 black Chevrolet or return it to the racetrack.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 48,000 people -- and counting -- had added their names to a grassroots petition on the Internet seeking to retire Earnhardt's car number. The NASCAR fans, many of whom added comments to the petition, apparently don't want to see the No. 3 on the racetrack without Earnhardt behind the wheel.

RCR reportedly had considered returning Earnhardt's car, carrying a new paint scheme, to the track for Sunday's Dura-Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. Kevin Harvick, the Busch Series Rookie of the Year in 2000, was named Earnhardt's replacement on RCR's Winston Cup team on Wednesday, but it remains uncertain which car he will be behind the wheel on Sunday.

Anthony Thies, a 30-year-old NASCAR fan and U.S. Army drill sargeant from Fort Benning, Ga., has posted a petition that urges NASCAR CEO Mike Helton and RCR to allow only an Earnhardt to drive the No. 3 car. Earnhardt died Sunday after crashing the car in the wall on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., drives for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Since he is not under contract with RCR, it may be difficult for him to step behind the wheel of his father's car.

When Adam Petty died last year in a practice accident, Petty's father Kyle worked out an agreement with his own sponsors and drove his son's Sprint car in Busch series events.

An RCR spokesperson said an announcement is expected Friday on the race team's decision to place the car back in action. NASCAR officials did not return phone calls seeking comment on Wednesday.

NASCAR licenses car numbers to all the cars at the beginning of the season. It is possible RCR might decide to make Earnhardt's car a No. 30, by adding a zero. That's a possible solution because Childress owns the rights to the number.

The petition can be found at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/DaleE3/petition.html

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com.