Getty Austin Dillon (front) drives the No. 3 Chevrolet in 2018.
Richard Childress Racing has announced a major change to the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver lineup for Talladega Superspeedway. The team has announced that it will bring back the iconic No. 3 with Jeffrey Earnhardt as the driver.
RCR made the announcement on April 12 with a press release. The team confirmed that Earnhardt will control the number used by both his grandfather, Dale Earnhardt, and his uncle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ForeverLawn will join the team as the primary partner for the AG-Pro 300 on April 23 (4 p.m. ET, FOX).
Legacy looks like this.
We’ve partnered with @RCRracing to put an Earnhardt behind the wheel of the No. 3 once again. See you at Talladega, @JEarnhardt1!
#blackandgreengrassmachine | #agpro300 | #legendswithoutlimits
“What a dream come true,” Earnhardt said in a press release. “The chance to be behind the wheel of the No. 3 car for RCR, that my pawpaw made famous, has long been a dream of mine and now it’s finally happening. I can’t thank ForeverLawn enough for making my dreams come to reality and for being such a big part of my career. I also want to thank Mr. Childress for making this possible. The No. 3 car is cherished by a lot of people, and I know how much it means to him. To give me this opportunity is something I’ll never forget.”
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The Earnhardt Family Has Dominated at Talladega
April 6, 2003: Dale Jr wins the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. At the time, it was a major win but controversial to some
While the yellow line rule had been in place since 2001, this was the first time a race win hung in the balance of the officials judgement call
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There have only been 32 Xfinity Series races at Talladega Superspeedway dating back to 1992, but two members of the Earnhardt family have each registered wins. Dale Sr. captured the race on July 24, 1993, while Dale Jr. reached Victory Lane on April 5, 2003.
The Cup Series, for comparison, has featured 105 trips to Talladega Superspeedway and 16 combined wins by the Hall of Famers. Dale Sr. won 10 Cup Series races at the Alabama track while sweeping the races in 1990 and 1999. Dale Jr. won six times at the track. This includes four consecutive wins from 2001 to 2003.
Jeffrey Earnhardt has yet to win a national series race in his career, but he will have a solid opportunity on April 23. He will join a well-funded organization that has already reached Victory Lane in 2022 with Austin Hill capturing the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
“It’s great to have an Earnhardt back in one of our cars,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “We think Jeffrey is a talented young driver and I’m confident he will run well at Talladega.”
Earnhardt Will Make His Debut With RCR
The North Carolina native has made 221 starts across the three national NASCAR series, but none have been with Richard Childress Racing. The majority have been with Rick Ware Racing, JD Motorsports with Gary Keller, and Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group.
The 2022 season will change this trend as Earnhardt joins RCR for the first time in his national series career and takes over the iconic number. The race at Talladega Superspeedway will also continue Earnhardt’s streak of making Xfinity Series starts for multiple teams.
Earnhardt kicked off his season with two starts for Sam Hunt Racing. He suited up at Daytona International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway before joining Emerling-Gase Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway. Earnhardt returned to Sam Hunt Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He will make multiple other starts for the team during the 2022 season, but he will first join RCR at Talladega Superspeedway.
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