“I was told I’d never see No. 3” - When Martha Earnhardt reflected on the return of Dale Earnhardt’s iconic number after his death 

Martha Earnhardt once discussed the return of Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 on the race tracks. She also revealed how she was told Dale Sr.'s number would be retired from the sport after his death, despite there being no such traditions in NASCAR.

After competing for almost 27 years and amassing 76 Cup wins, the Hall of Famer Dale Sr. died in a tragic last-lap multi-car wreck at the 2001 Daytona 500. After that, Richard Childress renumbered the car to #29 and gave the ride to Kevin Harvick. However, the #3 was brought back, as RCR continued to have the rights of the number, in 2014 when Childress' grandson, Austin Dillon, started his rookie Cup Series career.

In a 2014 conversation with Steve Byrnes, Martha, the matriarch of the famed racing family, was asked about her thoughts on seeing the #3 Chevy of RCR back on track. To this, she responded:

"I have mixed feelings because I was told that I would never see another #3 on the racetrack after Dale died," said Martha. "I can understand to a point that, I know it was Richard's number we drove and this is his grandson. And I understand that as long as they don't make it look like the No.3 if they painted a different color and put different - I can sort of deal with it. But I don't want to see the black No. 3 just like Dale's, but that's not my decision." [2:57]

Dale Earnhardt was famous for driving the black #3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. Childress was the first to drive the No. 3 before he handed over the ride full-time to the 'Intimidator' in 1984. Dale Sr. then went on to win six coveted Cup Series trophies for RCR and tied himself with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.

Martha also acknowledged during the interview that it might not have been as hard to see her grandson, Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., behind the No. 3 as it was watching someone else.

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"I was cheering and crying" - Martha Earnhardt opened up on witnessing Dale Earnhardt's maiden Daytona 500 triumph

Dale Earnhardt - NASCAR: USA TODAY Sports-Archive - Source: Imagn

Seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt is considered one of the most prominent NASCAR drivers in its rich history. However, in his illustrious career, it took almost 23 years for the Kannapolis native to drive through the victory lane of the esteemed Daytona 500 race

Martha Earnhardt once reminisced the proud moment of his son, Earnhardt Sr. clinching the 1998 Daytona 500 victory. She said that year (via NASCAR):

"I was home watching, and I was cheering and crying at home just like I would if I had been there. Dale called me from winner’s circle and that made me feel real good. He said, “Mom! I finally won the Daytona 500! I said, ‘Yeah, son, I saw you did!’ For the last 10 laps, I walked the floor. I would sit down, I’d get up, I’d sit down. … I couldn’t stay sitting down until I knew he had won it. It was just a really great feeling because I knew how hard and how long he has tried to win and how close he has come."

Marth Earnhardt was a strong force inside the Earnhardt family as a wife, mother, and grandmother. She passed away in December 2021.