This is one of multiple personnel changes announced by the team this week. Justin Alexander will take over as Dillon's crew chief, replacing Keith Rodden, who will now take on a larger role within the organization.
Alexander has worked with Dillon before. In fact, all four of Dillon's NASCAR Cup Series victories, including the 2018 Daytona 500, came with Alexander as the crew chief. The duo worked together from for part of the 2017 season and the entirety of 2018, then again from 2022 through 2022. Most recently, Alexander has been serving as the team's competition director.
Rodden started working with Dillon at the start of the 2023 season, where Dillon ultimately finished 29th in the championship standings. His final result was impacted by a mid-season points penalty, but it was still Dillon's worst season since the start of his Cup career. His average finish of 21.8 was a career-low as well.
Dillon currently sits 28th in the standings, and has yet to score a top-ten finish after seven races this year.
The team has also announced Joel Keller as the lead engineer for the No. 3 team.
“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. “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.”
The changes are effective immediately, with Alexander returning to his role as crew chief for this weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway.
