Dale Jr.'s No. 3 to visit NASCAR Hall of Fame

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The NASCAR Hall of Fame is now the temporary home of one of the most talked about race cars of 2010.

Beginning July 14, included with the price of admission, guests can get a close-up look at the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet that Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove to victory in the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

The car carries the same design of the race cars Earnhardt Jr.'s father -- Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Dale Earnhardt -- made famous in the 1980s.

"Long before we ever raced the No. 3 car to honor my dad, I had already considered lending it to the NASCAR Hall of Fame regardless of how it finished, because the whole point of the program was to pay tribute to my dad's induction into the Hall of Fame," Earnhardt Jr. said "The fact we won with it makes it even more meaningful, and hopefully it will attract more people to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the coming months while it's on display. This No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet put me back into Victory Lane, and it stirred up a lot of old memories for a lot of people. I was happy for my fans, my dad's fans, my family, Richard [Childress], Teresa [Earnhardt] and everybody involved. It was definitely an honor to drive it."

This No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet Impala was built and prepared by JR Motorsports and entered in the Daytona race by owner Richard Childress. The combination of Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt Inc. and RCR has a very brief yet shining history on the track. In only two races together, Earnhardt drove the No. 3 Chevrolet to victory on both occasions (February 2002 and July 2010 Nationwide Series races at Daytona International Speedway).

"There already was something special about this race car before it ever even took a lap around a race track," said Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. "It solidified its place in history, though, when Dale Jr. took it to Victory Lane in Daytona. Dale says he will not drive the No. 3 again, so this may be even more historic than we realize today. Epic stories deserve to be relived over and over, and it is our privilege to provide a venue for guests to get close to something so unique. We can't thank Kelley and Dale enough for loaning us this car."

On loan from JR Motorsports, the race car is on exhibit in the Great Hall of the NASCAR Hall of Fame until Sept. 19.