raceannouncerblog

Retire numbers in NASCAR???  NEVER!!!

Lost in the meteoric rise of the popularity of NASCAR is much of its history. Despite the overwhelming number of people (mostly newer fans of the sport) who believe otherwise, ABSOLUTELY no number in NASCAR should EVER be “retired”, IMHO. This ESPN article about the other drivers in NASCAR who have run the #8 explains many reasons why no one driver should ever be EXCLUSIVELY linked to one particular number.

ESPN article on the history of #8

Retire the “style” or design of a particular number? SURE! Go ahead! But NEVER retire the number itself. And yes, that goes for both the #3 and the #43 as well. Other drivers have run both of those before Dale Sr. (Ricky Rudd, who may hang up the helmet for good again next year, drove the #3 early in his career) and Richard Petty. Others have run the #43 since (the late Bobby Hamilton, John Andretti, Bobby Labonte out of the Petty shops). Yes, the numbers are, for most of today’s fans, permanently
linked to the drivers who made them famous. That is NOT a good reason, however, for ANY number to be “retired”. Too many fans’ knowledge of the sport begins with the time period in which they first started watching NASCAR, not when NASCAR first started. There have been many drivers who drove cars with the same numbers as today’s drivers–in some cases, with much better results (as the ESPN article points out, Dale Jr. is NOT the WINNINGEST driver in the #8. The “RED NATION” is aghast!!!)

I have a very good friend who is an EXTREMELY passionate Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan.  She and I argue all the time about this same thing.  It is the strong emotion of what she believes he meant to the sport but more importantly, what he means PERSONALLY to her, deep down inside, which guides her thinking.  I understand all that but I just don’t agree with it. 

Mike Paz, Motorsports Announcer