This week, the team has announced several personnel changes, with Justin Alexander taking over as Dillon’s crew chief, replacing Keith Rodden, who will transition to a more expansive role within the organization.
Alexander’s history with Dillon runs deep. All four of Dillon’s NASCAR Cup Series victories, notably the 2018 Daytona 500, were achieved under Alexander’s guidance. Their partnership spanned across various seasons, commencing in parts of 2017 through the entirety of 2018, and then resuming from 2022 until now. Alexander had most recently served as the team’s competition director.
Rodden joined forces with Dillon at the beginning of the 2023 season, during which Dillon concluded the championship standings in 29th place. Despite facing setbacks like a mid-season points penalty, it marked Dillon’s least successful season since entering the Cup arena, with an average finish of 21.8, a career low.
Presently, Dillon occupies the 28th spot in the standings and has yet to clinch a top-ten finish after seven races this season.
In addition to Alexander’s appointment, Joel Keller has been named the lead engineer for the No. 3 team.
Andy Petree, the executive vice president for RCR, explained, “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. 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.”
Effective immediately, the changes take effect, with Alexander reassuming his duties as crew chief for this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway.
