File this one under I can’t believe what I am seeing.

Who would have thought that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Inc. would ever work on a project together?

I never would have at least this early on.

But on Thursday JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and DEI made it official by announcing that Junior would drive the legendary No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet in the July 2 Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by Coca-Cola in the Nationwide Series at Daytona.

This story began swirling around NASCAR late last week.

I couldn’t believe that Junior would do anything that involved Teresa Earnhardt following their much celebrated split a couple of years ago.

I know Junior would do just about anything for Richard Childress, but not for Teresa.
Then again, this is really about honoring his late father.

At first I was a bit put off by the entire situation because quite frankly, Teresa needs to quit trying to make a buck off of Dale Sr. every chance she gets.

But when I saw that it was to honor his upcoming induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, I was fine with it.

I am one of those people who believe that if you are not going to permanently retire the No. 3, then an Earnhardt needs to be driving it.

I had hoped that Junior would go with Childress when he switched teams, but I guess that would have been a bit too tough for Earnhardt Jr. to deal with.

There has always been talk that later in Junior’s career, he would want to drive the No. 3, but talk is cheap and whether or not that would really happen is anyone’s guess.

So this July in Daytona, we will all finally get to see Junior back in the No. 3, which he has done a couple of times already in the Nationwide series.

To put the Wrangler brand on the car will make it something special to see.

The merchandising from this venture will be tremendous for everyone.

Junior driving this car will be the talk of NASCAR right up until the race takes place.
You can bet during FOX’s telecast on Sunday, there will be a good chunk of it used up discussion the entire situation.

I think I was most shocked on Thursday by Junior’s comments. Although I know he is a businessman just like his late father and this is business, he did appear to be genuine in his remarks.

“This was an idea that came up as a way to pay tribute to my dad, and it’s pretty cool that it’s a collaborative effort between JR Motorsports, RCR and DEI,” Earnhardt Jr. said at the press conference in Mooresville, N.C.

This will be the second time all three groups have joined forces.

Their first and only collaboration together if February 2002 produced a victory at Daytona in the Nationwide series.

A similar success would have NASCAR and Dale Jr. and Sr. fans overcome with joy.
So buckle up Earnhardt Jr. fans, it’s going to be wide ride at Daytona in July.

One I know I cannot wait to take.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com