citizenbusch, chronicler of La Revolucion (aka The Rowdy Revolution), was stunned to learn today that Richard Childress is allowing a driver to use the most hallowed of hallowed ground in race car driving, the #3 car made famous by Dale Earnhardt, a number which seemingly had been permanently retired.  even dale earnhardt, jr. during his free-agency tour last year couldn’t talk Childress into parting with the number.

so who did Childress give up the number for?  his eighteen year-old grandson, Austin Dillon, a driver in WRASCAR’s development series.

holy-who-gives-a-fuck-about-preserving-history, batman!

the crooked #3 and black paint scheme had been retired since big e’s fatal crash at the 2001 daytona500.  many in the sports world felt that this number would never be used again….at least not by anyone not named earnhardt.

think of it this way:  who would want to wear the #23 for the chicago bulls?  the #99 in hockey?  the snake glasses at the world series of poker?  now imagine if michael jordan, wayne gretzky and greg raymer were all dead…..THAT is what this is like.  it would be hard enough wearing the number of a LIVING icon, let alone a sainted, tragically deceased icon.

(this is a good moment to pause during this tirade to recognize the passing of spock, the pointy-eared dog. he was a good dog who tolerated shady ownership.)

back to #3.  according to the virginia-pilot, dillon, whose father was a racer who now works for Childress, is an up-and-comer and his grandfather simply couldn’t say no to him. that’s pretty fucked up, don’t you think?  isn’t that kind of like george steinbrenner saying he can’t say no to his grandkids when they ask if they can use thurmon munson’s uniform for little league?

(we pause again to recognize tony stewart for his nationwide win today…and high-fives to mrs. dupes, friend of the ‘hu and one of smoke’s biggest fans)

getting back to austin dillon…we’re asked to believe that the good news is that dillon, like earnhardt, is extremely aggressive as evidenced by his coaches asking him to tone it down in youth soccer!

peeshaw!!!!  we can’t make this stuff up!

read about the whole mess here.  write to childress.  write to congress. write to somebody. anybody.  this has to be stopped.