For Earnhardt Jr., 3 may not be the magic number (cont'd)

But not the No. 3. Oh, sure, it would be a goose-bump moment, seeing Earnhardt Jr. slide into his No. 3 car in February at Daytona International Speedway, the site of his family's greatest triumphs and greatest tragedy. But so much of what we've witnessed this season is about Earnhardt Jr. becoming his own man, stepping away from his father's legacy and creating a new one for himself. Some of the same issues he faced at DEI would undoubtedly be present at Childress, a team full of his father's old friends, an organization full of people the elder Earnhardt treated like family even if they weren't related by blood.

Earnhardt Jr. leaving DEI at end of season

In a news conference at his JR Motorsports race shop on Thursday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced he will leave DEI at the end of this season.

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So if RCR is his final destination, there are destined to be some of the same family-versus-business conflicts that characterized the latter part of his tenure at DEI, even without stepmother Teresa running the show. With Childress, there would almost certainly be times when Earnhardt's decisions will be influenced by the personal relationships he has with the people he works with -- just as they were at DEI.

But the No. 3 elevates everything to a different level, turning this entire episode from one where a driver wants to find a more competitive car and a less tense work environment into one where he's stepping directly into his father's shoes. Earnhardt Jr. is not going to win 76 events and seven championships on NASCAR's premier circuit. Driving a No. 3 car only sets him up to face unrealistic expectations, unfair comparisons, and the pressure of upholding a legacy that belongs to someone else.

He seems to realize that. "I've got to do a little soul-searching about how I feel about driving a No. 3 car," he said Thursday, and rightly so.

Maybe it will happen one day in the future, if and when Earnhardt Jr. establishes himself as the multiple championship contender so many want him to become. Maybe then, his father's shoes will fit. But for now, the No. 3 belongs exactly where it is, locked inside the hearts of the people who watched it go around the track.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.