NASCAR Cup Series

Would Dale Jr. ever be interested in driving the No. 8 car again?

Published Aug. 19, 2015 1:42 p.m. ET

foxsports

During his time as a driver in one of NASCAR's top two divisions, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has competed with three car numbers: 88, 8 and 3.

The 88 has been Earnhardt's number since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. The third-generation driver campaigned the No. 8 full time from 2000-07 when he competed in the Sprint Cup Series for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company founded by his late father.

As an XFINITY Series driver for DEI in 1998 and 1999, Earnhardt Jr. won back-to-back titles with the No. 3 made famous in NASCAR's premier series by his legendary father.

While it's unlikely that Earnhardt Jr. would ever race the No. 3 in the Sprint Cup Series (the number wasn't used in Cup from the time of Earnhardt Sr.'s death in 2001 until it was resurrected in 2014 by team owner Richard Childress on grandson Austin Dillon's car), the situation with the No. 8 is a bit more intriguing.

The No. 8 hasn't been used on a regular basis since DEI shuttered its NASCAR teams and merged with Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of the 2008 season.

So would Earnhardt Jr. ever be interested in trading in his No. 88 for a return to his old single 8 that he drove to 17 of his 25 career Sprint Cup victories?

A fan recently posed this question to NASCAR's most popular driver on Twitter. Check out his reponse:

@DaleJr if you couldn't race the 88, what number would you go with?
— Daniel Carman (@DanielCarman_88) August 16, 2015

I'd run the 8 again. And I think about it. But that's the past. I like the 88 too much now. https://t.co/0OCIWldrZp
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) August 16, 2015

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