Keith Rodden named new crew chief for Austin Dillon in 2023
Veteran engineer takes over for Justin Alexander as crew chief for the No. 3 Chevrolet
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1 min read
Richard Childress Racing announced Friday that Keith Rodden has been hired as the new crew chief for its No. 3 Chevrolet and driver Austin Dillon in 2023. Rodden takes over for Justin Alexander, who will step off the pit box at the end of the 2022 season and take on a new role as director of vehicle performance for RCR.
Rodden, who joins Richard Childress Racing after most recently working as the General Motors WFT project lead and test team crew chief, has nearly 20 years of experience as a NASCAR engineer and crew chief. His career began in 2003, when he took a job working for Andy Petree, who won two Cup Series championships as crew chief for Dale Earnhardt and now serves as RCR's vice president of competition.
Rodden has worked for teams including Evernham Motorsports, Team Red Bull, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing and Hendrick Motorsports. He first served as an interim crew chief for Kasey Kahne in 2007 before working full-time as a crew chief from 2014 to 2017. Rodden served as crew chief for Jamie McMurray at Ganassi in 2014, then served as Kahne's crew chief for three seasons at Hendrick.
Rodden's biggest accomplishment came in 2017, when he guided Kahne to his final Cup victory in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. He also won the 2014 All-Star Race as crew chief for McMurray.
"In working with Richard Childress Racing, and in particular the No. 3 team, over the years, I've been really impressed with their competitive nature, dedication to hard work and emphasis on partner relationships," read a statement by Rodden. "I'm looking forward to getting back into a team crew chief role and doing so with one of the strongest teams in the Team Chevy family. "
In his new role at RCR, Rodden will look to continue the winning ways that Austin Dillon enjoyed with Justin Alexander as his crew chief. All four of Dillon's Cup Series victories, including a walk-off victory to make the NASCAR playoffs at Daytona this past August, have come with Alexander atop the pit box.
