The Iconic Number Returns to Cup!

Dale Earnhardt's iconic #3 with which he drove until his tragic death in the 2001 Daytona 500

You've heard it right. The iconic #3 will return to the NASCAR Cup Series circuit for the first time since Dale Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500. Richard Childress Racing will return to the #3 with driver Austin Dillon, Richard Childress' grandson who has used the #3 in every racing series he has participated in, including the Camping World Truck Series, where he won the 2011 Championship, and the Nationwide Series, where he just recently captured the 2013 title. Dillon will drive the #3 DOW Chemicals/Cheerios Chevy SS in 2014 (Schemes shown below).

Dillon's #3 Cheerios and DOW Chemicals schemes were officially unveiled earlier today

At the moment of the announcement, social media exploded with some people in favor of the iconic #3 returning, but a majority of fans were appalled that Richard Childress would bring back the #3, claiming it to be Dale's and ONLY Dale's number. 

I AM one of the #3 supporters. I think it's great that the #3 is finally returning. Austin has been running it for years and proved that he deserves to be behind the wheel of that famous number. Does he have big shoes to fill after seven-time champion Earnhardt? Absolutely. He has shown he can drive in Trucks and Nationwide, but in order to show these fans that he can drive the #3 in Cup, he absolutely needs to have a great rookie year in 2014. 

What I don't get about the fans who oppose the thought of Dillon driving the 3 is that they say it's only because Childress wants to have a good ride for his grandson. Umm....Dale Earnhardt does not own the number. Team owner Richard Childress does, and he's been waiting for a driver to step back in the #3, whether it be Dale Earnhardt Jr, if he ever signed with RCR, or one of Childress' grandsons, Austin or Ty. 

Another argument I don't get is that "Oh, Childress said he'd never run the #3 ever again." That statement is 100% INACCURATE. After looking up the interview with Childress after Earnhardt's death, he said that he would never run A GM-GOODWRENCH SCHEME like the one Earnhardt ran. So for those of you who are wishing to see a throwback scheme at Daytona, think again. 

Then there are the people who say that Austin Dillon was never close to the Earnhardt family so why should we take over for the #3 car. WRONG. In this picture below of when Dale won the 1998 Daytona 500, the two young boys on his right or actually Ty Dillon (Far left) and young Austin (Left next to Dale). Earnhardt was a part of the Richard Childress Racing family as much as the Dillon's were to the Earnhardt's. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr said it himself that he approves of Austin running the #3, and that's coming from Earnhardt's son. If he can allow and even support RCR putting Austin in the #3, why can't us fans do the same? 

Dale Earnhardt in victory lane after winning the 1998 Daytona 500. Standing next to him on the left of the picture are young Ty Dillon and Austin Dillon (left to right, respectively)

Why are we putting so much hatred into a driver that, yes, comes from a rich racing family, like most young drivers are nowadays, but has so much talent behind the wheel. A lot of the fans that do not support this decision are either 1.) Dale Earnhardt fans who unfortunately will not get over his death even though it's been almost 13 years, and 2.) Austin Dillon haters because of the car # he has been driving. I feel for the Earnhardt fans. I do. It's horrible when a driver dies, especially in a community as close as the NASCAR community. I felt that when we lost Jason Leffler exactly six months ago. It casts a shadow over the sport and for a driver as legendary and iconic as Earnhardt, it casts a huge shadow, but in a family as close as the Earnhardt-Childress family, it's important to see where Austin comes from. 

I wish Austin the best and his entire #3 DOW/Cheerios team as they compete for the championship and rookie of the year honors. After the feats that Austin has accomplished, I believe Dale is up there smiling down on this young man, especially after today. 

2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion: Jimmie Johnson

He did it. Jimmie Johnson earned his six-pack of championship trophies on Sunday night, officially beating runner-up Matt Kenseth by 19 points in the overall standings. An interesting fact for all of you out there: Jimmie has only been in the Cup Series for 12 years (He was a rookie in 2002), and now has six career titles in those twelve years (Batting 0.500 in championships). 

With this title, Johnson is now only one championship trophy away from tying the two great legends of our sport: "The Intimidator" Dale Earnhardt and "The King" Richard Petty. With this momentum streak that Johnson and Crew Chief Chad Knaus are currently on, there's no doubt in my mind that can do it. Personally myself, I'm not a big-time fan of Johnson's but the man can drive...AND HE IS DEFINITELY AN ATHLETE (*cough cough* Donavan McNabb *cough*)

2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion: Austin Dillon

In only his fourth year as a full-time NASCAR driver, Austin Dillon picked up his second-career championship trophy. He won the 2011 Camping World Truck Series championship and on Saturday, he took the #3 Advocare team to the championship stage as this year's Nationwide Series Champion, beating out runner-up Sam Hornish Jr by only three points. 

However, Hornish's defeat did not upset team owner Roger Penske. Thankfully, a close battle in the owner's title between his #22 Ford and JD Gibbs' #54 Toyota ended with Penske's #22 winning the owner's title for Penske, which was his first owner's championship. The #22 Ford beat out the #54 Toyota by only one point. 

Soon-to-be Sprint Cup Series rookie Kyle Larson can definitely say he started from the bottom and finished at the top in 2013. After beginning the 2013 Nationwide Series season with his car flying into the Daytona catchfence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPwK6QCveqk), Larson took home the 2013 Rookie of the Year Award in a season that gave him no wins but seventeen top-ten finishes. 

2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion: Matt Crafton

Matt Crafton celebrated his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship Friday night. All he had to do was start the race. He accomplished doing so, automatically winning a championship trophy that he has been dreaming of for thirteen years since he's been in the truck series. Crafton also gave Duke and Rhonda Thorson of ThorSport Racing their first driver's title. 

Truck sponsor Menard's received their second championship this year, a month after ARCA Racing Series driver Frank Kimmel won the 2013 ARCA Championship, his 10th career title. 

Kyle Busch and Kyle Busch Motorsports won the Owner's Championship in the #51 truck. Busch's #51 truck and Thorson's #88 truck were tied in points at the end and had to go to a tiebreaker, which meant that the team with the most wins this year got the owner's title. Kyle's #51 truck has six wins this year (five with Kyle Busch, one with Erik Jones) where the #88 only had one win. Therefore, Kyle Busch Motorsports was able to pick up their second-career Owner's Championship.

Brad Keselowski Racing driver Ryan Blaney gets the 2013 Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the youngest driver to do so, with a season that provided him with a win at Pocono in August, and thirteen top-ten finishes.

Franchitti Announces Retirement Following Houston Wreck

On Friday, four-time Indycar Champion and three-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti announced that will retire from racing after sustaining a career-ending injury at the Shell GP of Houston back on October 6th.

According to Franchitti, "One month removed from the crash and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post-accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing. They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop." 

Reddick Joins BKR, replaces Chastain in 2014

Brad Keselowski Racing announced Saturday that Tyler Reddick, a young dirt track driver from Corning, California will replace Ross Chastain in the #19 Ford F-Series truck. Chastain had a successful 2013 run, highlighted with two Pole Awards, but unfortunately, the sponsorship money was not enough to keep Chastain around. Reddick will pilot the #19 Ford for at least 15 races in 2014, with the hope of running for Rookie of the Year honors in 2015. The BBR Music Group has signed to be the primary sponsor for four races and will be the associate sponsor for the remainder of Reddick's races. (MRN.com)

According to BKR team owner, 2012 Cup Champion Brad Keselowski, "Tyler caught my eye at the Rockingham K&N Pro Series East race in November of 2012. I continued to follow his progress and he definitely made a positive impression on me and our competition staff at BKR."

"I'm thrilled to be joining Brad and BKR in the Camping World Truck Series," Reddick said. "As Brad is one of the young champion superstars in the sport today, I am confident I can learn a lot from him not just from a driving and competition standpoint, but also how to build a team around me and engage with sponsors and the media at the NASCAR level. I have no doubt that this is going to be a tremendous experience as I look to progress within the sport."

Annett to run for ROTY in 2014, replaces Blaney in the #7

Surprising news out of Tommy Baldwin Racing this week as we've learned that current Richard Petty Motorsports Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett will move to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to drive the Pilot/Flying J Chevy SS for Tommy Baldwin Racing, replacing Dave Blaney in the #7. Annett will make his Cup debut at the 2014 Daytona 500 next February.

Annett's 2014 Scheme was unveiled Friday afternoon on Tommy Baldwin Racing's Facebook page.

According to Annett, "Driving in the Cup Series has been my goal ever since I started racing, and to start this next chapter with (Tommy Baldwin), who is one of the main reasons I made the move to North Carolina in the first place, makes this extra special. I'm looking forward to continuing what we started-winning two races in the ARCA series and running well in trucks. Pilot Flying J has been with me just as long, they have been a tremendous partner and I'm honored to represent them on the world's biggest stage."

Michael Annett ran part-time in the Nationwide Series this year after missing several months of racing after a big wreck at the season-opener in Daytona sidelined him with a fractured sternum (See Video below).