On May 13 at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, members of the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame unveiled a #3 car driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr., a legendary figure in NASCAR history. The Richard Childress Racing #3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet is a 2000 Monte Carlo body style. It will be on exhibit at the museum for an extended period. Admission is free.
Earnhardt’s car appears near the 1963 Chevrolet Impala #3 that Robert “Junior” Johnson drove during the 1963 NASCAR season. Earnhardt, Johnson and Richard Childress — and the legendary #3 Chevrolet race cars associated with their success — make for one winning racing story.
After Johnson’s spectacular NASCAR career, he became a successful team owner and served as a mentor to Childress, an outstanding independent driver who drove # 3 to honor Johnson and his famous #3 Chevrolet. In 1981, Johnson advised Childress to start a team, and he recommended Earnhardt.
That year, Earnhardt began driving #3 for Childress, and the two men went on to make NASCAR history, winning 67 races and capturing six Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) championships, in 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994. Earnhardt also had the 1980 title to his credit for another owner. His seven Cup titles equaled the record set by Richard Petty, a mark long regarded as unbeatable. Along the way, Richard Childress Racing became one of the premier teams in motor sports.
At the time of Earnhardt’s death at the 2001 Daytona 500, he was sixth in NASCAR career victories, with 76; seventh in races started, with 676; and first in career earnings, with more than $41 million. He finished in the top 10 of the Cup competition a record 20 times.
Johnson, Earnhardt and Childress are inductees in the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame, located at the N.C. Museum of History.
For more information, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org. The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton St., across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street.
The N.C. Museum of History’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The department’s Web site is www.ncculture.com