Richard Childress Racing Friday is expected to announce a 20-race primary Nationwide Series sponsorship with AdvoCare. The deal gives the direct marketing company the majority of races on the famed No. 3 car, which will return to NASCAR's second circuit for the first time for a full season since Childress put it away after Dale Earnhardt's death in '01. The car will be driven by Childress' grandson, Austin Dillon, who is currently driving the No. 3 in the Camping World Truck Series. AdvoCare, which has a white and blue logo, will use a black paint scheme for the car in an effort to stay true to the sport's heritage. Earnhardt drove a black No. 3 Chevrolet sponsored by Goodwrench in most races. AdvoCare VP/Marketing Jan Wold said, "We don't want to mess with bringing back that car if it can't be in its original colors. The value and the emotion tied with the No. 3 is in the color." The sponsorship represents a step up in AdvoCare's spending in NASCAR. The company, which sells health and wellness products, signed a race entitlement agreement with Speedway Motorsports for the Atlanta race in September. Wold said that the company got a lot of positive feedback from its distributors after the race and began looking for ways to increase its involvement in NASCAR. It got a call not long afterward from RCR execs searching for a sponsor for the No. 3 Nationwide Series car. Wold said the idea of sponsoring the No. 3 "clicked." She added, "We feel that with the 3 back, we will get a lot of branding and a lot of awareness and a lot of PR."
