CONCORD, N.C. — The 3 is back in Sprint Cup.

Austin Dillon, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will pilot a Sprint Cup car in 2014 with a slanted 3, a number and style made famous by seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.

“Dale Earnhardt is smiling down,” Childress said. “He would want to see this.”

Childress made the announcement Wednesday that the 3 would return to Cup with Dillon with sponsorship from Dow and General Mills.

Earnhardt, who won six of his Cup titles at RCR, died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Childress changed the car number to 29 the following week, when Kevin Harvick took over the ride, and the 3 has not been run in Cup since then.

Austin and Ty Dillon have used the RCR-styled 3 in development series, as has Earnhardt granddaughter Karsyn Elledge.

With the 23-year-old Austin, the 2013 Nationwide series champion, going full time in Cup in 2014, Childress had to make a decision on whether to return the 3 to NASCAR's biggest stage.

He has indicated all year he would do it and that fans had hoped to see Dillon in a 3 car in the 2013 Daytona 500, where Dillon drove a No. 33 car.

"With Austin running it in Nationwide as much as he did, it's kind of re-energized a lot of the fans," Childress said earlier this year. "The fans come up and the cards and the calls and the emails we get, when we said he was going to run the 33 at Daytona, overwhelmingly people wanted to see the 3."

Childress, who owns the trademark on the slanted 3 style, said only one of his family members or an Earnhardt family member would drive the 3.

"I do like running it, but you always question certain things every now and then when you think back about it and people say things," Dillon said earlier this year. "The great thing is I had a lot of support with it, especially lately. … People come up to you and say, 'Man, we'd love to see you in the 3 in the Cup Series.'

"That's all I need to hear is a little bit of support here and there. Past that, it's a number and I have to give 110 percent if I'm in the 3 or not in the 3."

But Dillon's accomplishments in the 3 are special. In the Nationwide Series finale last month, Dillon was struggling and was in danger of losing the title. It was the second time in Dillon's career where he won a championship that came down to the wire, as did his 2011 truck title.

"I remember before that (truck) race was over, I looked up to the sky and said, 'Old pal, we need you,'" Childress said the night of the Nationwide title. "I did that again tonight. He came through."

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

hawg you think Dillon is going to be good?

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

I hope so. They could use a new young gun to challenge some of the older guys.

I just had hoped that when #3 came back it would be Jr running it. That is going to be really strange for him to be on the track with a #3 and not having it be his dad.

I am sure Daytona this year will be a thing.

The crowd will go batshit insane the first time the 88 is pushing the 3 around the track.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

Absolutely. Definitely going to be something to see.

I don't think Jr. ever had the desire to race that number, I am sure it would have been very tough on him.

i thought you moved to england

Finally, the #3 has come back to turning left for 3 hours on my TV!

:hides:

I have a feeling this young kid will probably make to many rights his first year.

Im pretty hammered right now.

I hope he finds a reason to lose the stupid ass cowboy hat.