Back and In Black: The No. 3 Returns In The Camping World Truck Series

Richard Childress Racing has gone full circle, as they will be back competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full-time in 2010, with Austin Dillon.

Dillon is the grandson of Richard Childress. The 19 year old is tremendously talented, busy juggling his racing career with being a full-time College student.

RCR, won the inaugural Truck Series title in 1995, with driver Mike Skinner, and they last competed full-time in the series with Jay Sauter in 1999.

They did run three races last season, with Dillon running two races and Tim George Jr. running one race.

Dillon's qualifying time was disallowed at Talladega due to failing a post qualifying inspection or he would have run three races.

Dillon held his own in those two races, qualifying well, then picked up a 12th at Iowa and a 15th at Loudon.

The news also brings back the black No. 3 full-time to NASCAR national series competition for the first-time since Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001.

Dillon also is the only driver to run the No. 3 in a NASCAR event since his untimely death.

"We are going to run full-time with Austin in the truck, the black three truck, and we do have a sponsor, and we're really excited about it," Mike Dillon said.

"I think it's a perfect place for the situation we're in with Austin. He's going to school, to college, at High Point University, and the schedule, it fits better for trying to accomplish that."

It had been rumored that RCR would run two trucks, but those plans have been scrapped by the team and they run just Dillon.

The plan for RCR is to build a crew around Dillon, that in time will just be moved up the NASCAR ladder together.

His team will be led by crew chief Danny Stockman. He comes over to RCR, from Kevin Harvick Inc were he was the car chief for Ron Hornaday in the No. 33.

I wish Kevin Harvick would have hung onto Stockman to replace the departed Rick Ren as Hornaday's crew chief. Rather than transfer him after the season to RCR.

That's how good the potential with Stockman is, he basically was Ren's right-hand man and it'll be exciting to see how he develops.

They probably will be affiliated in some way with KHI, and the latter changed its engines to Earnhardt Childress Racing.

I like the move that RCR is making with Dillon, just don't see the need to rush him along, he'll further his development running in the series and sure we'll see Hornaday mentoring him.

It's nice to see a team with a young talented driver take the time to develop them further and not just rush them along too fast. Regardless the fact the young driver happens to be Richard Childress's grandson.

Yes, Dillon also is my 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year pick. I won't be surprised to see him pick up his first career win and even finish top-10 in the points.