Who is the only driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship driving car number 3?

The only driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship driving car number 3 is Dale Earnhardt. The number became inseparable from Earnhardt during his championship years with Richard Childress Racing.

Earnhardt won seven premier-series championships between 1980 and 1994. He drove the No. 3 to six of those titles, beginning with his 1986 championship and continuing through championships in 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994. His 1980 title came in the No. 2 car for Rod Osterlund Racing.

The black No. 3 Chevrolet, often associated with the GM Goodwrench sponsorship, helped create Earnhardt’s “The Intimidator” image. Although other drivers have raced with No. 3 in NASCAR’s top division, none has matched Earnhardt’s championship record in that number.

After Earnhardt died in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500, Richard Childress Racing stopped using No. 3 in the Cup Series for more than a decade. Austin Dillon brought it back in 2014, but Earnhardt remains the only Cup champion to win titles in the No. 3.