An Earnhardt and #3 go together like cookies and cream, among many other combinations. The NASCAR Xfinity Series‘ 23 April race at Talladega Superspeedway will once again see that duo reunite as Jeffrey Earnhardt will pilot the #3 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. ForeverLawn will sponsor the car.
“What a dream come true. The chance to be behind the wheel of the #3 car for RCR, that my pawpaw made famous, has long been a dream of mine and now it’s finally happening,” said Earnhardt. “I can’t thank ForeverLawn enough for making my dreams come to reality and for being such a big part of my career. I also want to thank Mr. Childress for making this possible. The #3 car is cherished by a lot of people, and I know how much it means to him. To give me this opportunity is something I’ll never forget.”
He is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, grandson of the great Dale Earnhardt, and nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Despite the family ties, he has only made one start for his uncle’s JR Motorsports team in 2013. Much of this stems from Jeffrey’s desire to build his career without having to rely on his family, and much of his starts have usually been in mid-tier to backmarker equipment. His only other stint in top-level cars came in 2019 with Joe Gibbs Racing and ally XCI Racing, a seven-race slate that saw three top tens and a third for JGR. RCR will provide him with his next best opportunity in solid-performing vehicles, especially at superspeedways, as team-mate Austin Hill won at Daytona to begin the 2022 season while former RCR driver Myatt Snider won the pole there the previous year.
After running the full 2021 Xfinity season for JD Motorsports and finishing twenty-sixth in points, he scaled back to a limited schedule for Sam Hunt Racing and Emerling-Gase Motorsports, recording a best finish of thirteenth at Atlanta for the former.
Dale Earnhardt drove the #3 Cup Series car for RCR en route to six of his record seven titles. Dale Jr. used the number for an Xfinity one-off with RCR at Daytona in 2010, an event that he went on to win, in the most recent Earnhardt #3 start to date.
“It’s great to have an Earnhardt back in one of our cars,” commented Richard Childress. “We think Jeffrey is a talented young driver and I’m confident he will run well at Talladega.”
