Richard Childress Racing makes crew chief change
Richard Childress Racing has announced competition personnel changes ahead of the trip to Martinsville Speedway.
Austin Dillon will have a new crew chief for the remainder of the season as Justin Alexander returns to the No. 3 pit box. He replaces Keith Rodden, who joined RCR and the No. 3 team ahead of the 2023 season. Additionally, Joel Keller has been named lead engineer of the No. 3 team.
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Rodden will take on a larger role across the organization to "maximize the capabilities" of the team's cars.
Alexander has served as Dillon's crew chief multiple times in the past. He took over the No. 3 team midway through the 2017 season and guided Dillon to a Coca-Cola 600 win in their first race together. Alexander remained atop the pit box in 2018 as Dillon won the Daytona 500.
Danny Stockman Jr. was Dillon's crew chief in 2019 but Alexander returned in 2020. He remained with the No. 3 team through the end of the 2022 season.
Alexander was Dillon's crew chief for a win at Texas in 2020 and for the win at Daytona in 2022 that put Dillon back in the playoffs.
“The organizational changes were made to help Richard Childress Racing’s overall NASCAR Cup Series program as we prepare for the rest of the season and locking two teams into the NASCAR Playoffs,” said Andy Petree, executive vice president for RCR, in a statement.
“Justin Alexander and Austin Dillon share a unique chemistry that has proven effective in the past. We want to thank Keith Rodden for his leadership of the No. 3 team and know that the contributions he will continue to make to RCR in his new role will be valuable across the organization.”
Dillon is 28th in the Cup standings heading to Martinsville. He has one top-20 finish, 16th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
