No. 3 returns to NASCAR with driver Austin Dillon

The late Dale Earnhardt’s famed No. 3 will be back on track in the elite Sprint Cup Series next season, with Austin Dillon using the number. The move has been long anticipated after car owner Richard Childress allowed his grandson to use the No. 3 as he’s moved through NASCAR’s ranks. The number has not been used since Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500. The car was rebranded to No. 29 for Kevin Harvick following Earnhardt’s fatal accident. Dillon won the Truck Series championship in 2011 driving the No. 3 for Richard Childress Racing and the Nationwide title this year in the same number. – AP