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13 Years After Dale Earnhardt Tragedy, RCR Took Extremely Bold Step, Risking Ire of NASCAR Faithful

Published 12/12/2022, 11:30 AM EST

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No matter who drives the #3 number, people will always associate it with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. Although the number belongs to Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt was recognized through that number. So when he tragically passed away in 2001 during the Daytona 500, it was only right for the number to be retired.

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However, in 2014, the number resurfaced once again in the NASCAR Cup Series. In other words, the iconic number was back on the Cup Series grid after 13 years. This time, though, the pilot was Austin Dillon, and he has been using the #3 number ever since. The 2014 NASCAR Cup season would be Dillon’s full-time debut, after a handful of appearances since 2011. Dillon raced for Curb Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Phoenix Racing for a while. He even had six appearances in the #33 Richard Childress Racing car in 2012 and 2013.

READ MORE: $300 Million Worth Dale Earnhardt Jr & His Wife Summon Their Beloved Dogs for a Charitable Cause

How has RCR performed since the death of Dale Earnhardt?

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Truthfully speaking, the organization has not won a single Cup Series title since Dale Earnhardt. In fact, all six of the team’s Cup Series titles came at the hands of The Intimidator. The good news is that they did enjoy some form of success in the Xfinity Series arena, with five titles and two Truck Series titles.

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Two Xfinity titles came from Kevin Harvick and one from Clint Bowyer. A fourth crown came from Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick made it five. Meanwhile, Mike Skinner won the 1995 Truck Series title, with Dillon winning in 2011. It is also noteworthy that Ty Dillon was the ARCA Series champion for the organization.

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EssentiallySports gives you the power to decide who drives the #14 on 20th April

WATCH THIS STORY: “This Is After His Dad Was Gone” – Dale Earnhardt Jr’s ‘Brain Damage’ Confession Was Not Enough to Stop Joe Rogan from Vouching for NASCAR in 2020

Safe to say, in the Truck and Xfinity Series, Richard Childress Racing has been performing well. However, the outfit’s Cup Series performance leaves much to be desired. Now, with the recruitment of Kyle Busch for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, can he be the next big RCR hope?

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare