No. 3 represents one man, that's how it should stay

In the underrated and altogether enjoyable film Zombieland, Woody Harrelson's undead-killing lead character motors through the apocalyptic landscape in a big black truck with a familiar-scripted number 3 on the side. He never offers any explanation, never mentions his affinity for a former race car driver, never defines the connection between himself and another intimidating figure behind the wheel. He doesn't need to. When his ride is stolen and he commandeers a new one, the first thing he does is paint the same numeral on the driver's side door.

A nice touch

Putting the No. 3 back on the track with Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel honors his father, his family and the fans, writes Joe Menzer.

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• Junior in No. 3 at Daytona

That's how entrenched Dale Earnhardt's car number is in popular culture -- clarification is no longer required. Even a movie aimed at a youthful, hipster audience doesn't have to spell out who the man was or what he stood for. His legacy has become so ubiquitous and far-reaching that there's the assumption you can figure it out for yourself. By now, people just know, just like they know that a flag with a bear on it represents the state of California, or that a helmet with a star stands for a football team from Dallas.

A vehicle with a No. 3 on the side of it represents one man -- which is why it's so easy to have so many mixed feelings about the announcement earlier this week that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive a No. 3 car in the July 2 Nationwide Series event at Daytona. No question, this is being done with the right combination of people behind it, with Teresa Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr., and Richard Childress (who retains rights to the No. 3 and will technically field the entry) all on board. And it's being done in the right way, the vehicle unveiled on what would have been Earnhardt's 59th birthday, and painted in the same Wrangler scheme he used in the 1980s.

And while this effort is designed to honor Earnhardt's forthcoming induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame -- which will be two month's past by the time the car takes to the track -- it can't help but have something of a been-there, done-that feeling to it. In 2002 when Earnhardt Jr. returned to Daytona one year after his father's death and drove a No. 3 car in the Busch race, the atmosphere was electric. Even though the vehicle was sponsored by Oreo and not Goodwrench, in the right light parts of the dark blue car looked almost black. Grown men wept when Dale Jr. won the race and returned the car to Victory Lane. It was a cathartic moment that everyone needed, proof that while the man was gone, his legacy was still alive and well. (Continued)