For Earnhardt Jr., 3 may not be the magic number

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Why would Dale Earnhardt Jr. do it?

Why would he extricate himself from one situation where he's burdened by family history, only to land amid circumstances that are virtually the same? Why would he step from underneath the long, tall shadow cast by his late father, only to step right back into it again? Why would he move from his dad's team to his dad's car, if he truly wanted to establish himself as a championship contender and not simply as a last name?

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From Mooresville, N.C., to Darlington Raceway, you can hear the drumbeats, the steady tattoo of the faithful who yearn to see the No. 3 ride again. Now that NASCAR's most popular driver has announced his intention to separate from Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of this season, the situation seems too perfect. There's nothing to stop the younger Earnhardt from signing with Richard Childress Racing, the team that fielded six championship cars for his father, and bringing the legacy full circle by sliding behind the wheel of a certain black Chevrolet.

Nothing, that is, except Earnhardt Jr. himself, who seemed quite conflicted about the prospect during his announcement Thursday.

"With respect to my father, I don't feel very comfortable about that," he said. "He made that number what it is. With respect to him, I believe it belongs to him, you know what I mean? I never say never, and I've told you guys before that I was interested in doing that later in my career, and I still feel like that. I still feel that way. If that's something Richard is interested in, we can explore that, but that's a long way down the road."

Although NASCAR licenses car numbers on an annual basis, Childress has been allowed to retain control of the No. 3 since that dark day in Daytona six years ago. Although Earnhardt Jr. won a Busch race in a No. 3 car in 2002, the number hasn't seen action at the Nextel Cup level since the elder Earnhardt's untimely death. It's been unofficially retired, which is where it should remain, linked only to the one man who turned a simple digit into an icon.

That's not to say Earnhardt still won't wind up driving for Childress, something that seemed more likely Saturday when Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs expressed evident unease at the prospect of adding an alcohol sponsor and expanding so rapidly to four cars -- but at the same time, not ruling out eventually talking with the driver. It's easy to see Earnhardt signing with Childress and driving a red Budweiser car adorned with the No. 30, which RCR fielded years ago for Jeff Green, Jeff Burton and Steve Park. (Continued)