Number 3 On The Pole At Daytona

From ESPN: With the famed No. 3 on his car and memories of the late Dale Earnhardt fresh in his mind, Austin Dillon took the fabled number out of hibernation and straight to the top at Daytona.
Dillon reawakened the days of The Intimidator and proved he can handle the spotlight thrust on his ride in the 3, winning the pole Sunday for the season-opening Daytona 500.
He took the top spot with a lap at 196.019 mph in NASCAR's season opener in a car Richard Childress has refused to field at NASCAR's top level since Earnhardt's fatal accident on the last lap of the 2001 race.
But with his 23-year-old grandson ready to move to the Sprint Cup Series, Childress allowed Dillon to use the number widely associated with the seven-time champion. Earnhardt won 67 races, six championships and the 1998 Daytona 500 driving the No. 3.
Dillon was a kid when he posed for a picture with Earnhardt in Victory Lane following his breakthrough 1998 win.
He'll have many more memories from this milestone, like the congratulatory handshake he received from Richard Petty when qualifying ended.
NASCAR's family roots run deep, so Childress never had to leave the family tree to find the right driver for the number.  http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/10466782/austin-dillon-puts-no-3-pole-daytona-500
I have mixed feelings: I think the #3 should have been retired by NASCAR when Dale Sr. died in Daytona.  And the number certainly should not go to a rookie.
But then Richard Childress owns the number and he should be able to do with it as he pleases, because after all, it's just a number.
In the end, I think whoever uses the number should earn it and not go to some rookie who happens to be the grandson of the owner of the team.