DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - If Austin Dillon's No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team decided to steal a page from the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, it would be entirely appropriate.
The theme song of the world champion Pirates was "We Are Family," a contemporaneous hit by Sister Sledge. In 1979, the close-knit underdog Pittsburgh team upset the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series.
Coincidentally, 1979 also marked the first appearance of a rookie named Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500. The seven-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer would spend 19 years-with team owners Rod Osterlund, Bud Moore and Richard Childress-trying in vain to win the Great American Race.