New crew chief named for Austin Dillon
WELCOME, N.C. — Richard Childress Racing tabbed Justin Alexander to take over as crew chief for Austin Dillon in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Alexander will take over for Keith Rodden. Joel Keller will also take over as lead engineer, replacing Benjamin Lynch.
“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.
Rodden will take on a larger role across Richard Childress Racing. They say the role will be “to help maximize the capabilities of their Chevys and provide leadership, coordination and support.”
Rodden was named as crew chief for Dillon ahead of the 2023 season. However, the season was nothing to write home about.
Together, they earned a top-5 finish and seven top-10s with an average finish of 21.1. That was due in part to nine DNFs in their 34 races together.
Rodden missed two races after NASCAR suspended him for an infraction at Martinsville Speedway.
This season, Dillon sits 28th in points with an average finish of 25.7 and only two finishes better than 24th (22nd at Atlanta, 16th at Las Vegas).
Dillon has four NASCAR Cup Series wins and five playoff appearances. He earned all of his wins and all but one playoff appearance with Alexander.
“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,” Petree said.
The duo will reunite this weekend ahead of the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com