ESPN Sprint Cup

Don't blink twice if Dale Earnhardt shows up at the door on Sunday.

More than three and a half years after his death, the NASCAR driver's legacy is alive and well, as evidenced by the Halloween costumes reminiscent of No. 3's familiar driver's firesuit now being sold nationwide. Chances are that many kids wearing the costumes were too young to have seen "The Intimidator" on the track. Earnhardt died after crashing on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in February 2001.

While the costume seems like a natural connection -- since Halloween is after all the holiday that honors the dead -- the fact is that Earnhardt's life is celebrated by many of his fans every day.

Earnhardt was once again on Forbes' list of top earning deceased celebrities this year. The magazine estimates that royalties from his name and likeness generated approximately $5 million, on par with the posthumous revenue of Jerry Garcia, Tupac Shakur and Frank Sinatra.

"I definitely think he's the sports version of Elvis," said Forde Aley , vice president of gifts and sports for Action Performance, which produces Earnhardt collectibles that range from Christmas ornaments to diecast cars to, yes, the costumes. "In terms of sales, he's still considered a top five driver."

Aley said the company had no hesitation about making the costume because of "the belief that young kids gravitate to what their parents like." Certainly there has been no end to the love for good old No. 3.

There are Earnhardt logoed bed sheets. An Earnhardt nutcracker. Piggy banks. Grill covers. Lunch boxes. Shower curtains. Stained glass table lamps. Light switch covers. Snow globes. Soap dishes. And beer buckets, among others.

There are even Earnhardt figurines in camouflage gear, complete with a plastic turkey to fake shoot at. Of course, Remington offers its own Earnhardt limited edition rifles for those who are real hunters, too.

"He has so many licensees I can't possibly count them all," said Tim Trout, price guide editor for Beckett Racing, a motorsports collectibles magazine. "The formula is to take an item that might sell, throw a No. 3 on it, and it will sell better."

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached darren.rovell@espn3.com