“There was no option”: When Richard Childress revealed Dale Earnhardt’s words that stopped him from ‘retiring’ the Intimidator’s legacy

Dale Earnhardt Sr., a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, is a household name in the motorsports community. His hard-to-defeat aggressive racing style and fearless driving made him a fan favorite. The Intimidator carved a major part of his glorious career under Richard Childress Racing's banner, collecting six titles and 67 wins.

However, their partnership tragically ended after Senior passed away after his #3 Chevrolet got into a brutal crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. Instead of surrendering the iconic #3, Richard Childress decided otherwise and retained the number.

The car numbers are owned by NASCAR and leased to teams, renewed annually. Childress didn't use the number after Earnahrdt's death nor did he retire it, and kept paying the annual charges for over a decade. However, in December 2013, he unveiled the new #3 RCR Chevrolet, for his grandson Austin Dillon, who began his rookie season in 2014.

During a media availability at the car announcement, Childress recalled his chat with Dale Earnhardt which stopped him from retiring the number.

“I think this was probably 2000 in Daytona. It was raining, and Dale and I were sitting there talking about his retirement and what he was gonna do. He told me, ‘I want you to keep running this car. I want you to keep running the three, and I want you to be able to win races and win championships.’ There was no option to retire it, so it needed to stay in the family," Childress said via Autoweek.

Dillon would wrap the #3 Chevrolet's revival race at the Daytona International Speedway with a pole start and ninth-place finish.

"I'll probably never drive a car with a 3 on it again": When Dale Jr. expressed his feelings about driving Dale Earnhardt's #3 car

Since Senior's demise, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has raced thrice in the #3 RCR Chevrolet. Junior was often asked if he would don the iconic #3 but emphasized that it is Dale Earnhardt's legacy and he won't race in it. But Junior wanted to race with that number once more before he retired.

Earnhardt Jr. made two starts in the 2002 Xfinity Series. His maiden race in the #3 RCR Chevrolet was at the Daytona International Speedway where he triumphed after leading 59 laps. He made a second attempt at the Charlotte Speedway but unfortunately succumbed to a DNF.

Dale Jr. rode in the iconic number for the final time in 2010, at the Daytona International Speedway, claiming a second consecutive win in his second Daytona race in the #3.

"I want to run it once before I retire and this will probably be it. I can pretty much say I'm 99 percent sure I'll probably never drive a car with a 3 on it again. It's not [my number] to take and use whenever I feel like using it," Junior said via Autoweek.

Dale Earnhardt took 23 tries to etch his first Daytona 500 victory in 1998.