The debut of the Next Gen car has precipitated an over-arching theme of change within NASCAR as the sport prepares for the first points-paying race of the season at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 20. However, among the many variables the Next Gen has canalized within the sport, there’s a certain aura of familiarity within the walls of Richard Childress Racing.
RCR heads into the new season with stability in place thanks to many of the key components of its NASCAR Cup Series program remaining intact. Both drivers, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick, will again be paired with their crew chiefs who return to their respective programs, with Justin Alexander leading the No. 3 team and Randall Burnett leading the No. 8 team.
“I think it’s really important to begin the season with some familiarity,” said Austin. “Any time you can build with the same team over a year’s time you start to feel each other out more and know where everybody stands. We were very close to getting both of our cars into the NASCAR Playoffs last year, and it came down to a close points race between the two. Obviously, this year the biggest thing is trying to build off what we accomplished last year and lock in both teams. Our crew chiefs are a big part of that and it provides a sense of comfort knowing we have Justin and Randall returning.”
Both crew chiefs have enjoyed success with their respective drivers in the past that RCR hopes to parlay into the 2022 season.
Alexander led Dillon and the No. 3 team to a race win in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona to kick off 2021. Although they did not win a points-paying race, Dillon easily posted the most consistent season of his career. As a crew chief, Alexander’s accolades include three wins in the NASCAR Cup Series and four appearances in the NASCAR Playoffs with Dillon. Notably, the duo won the DAYTONA 500 in 2018 and the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017. Dillon and Alexander have also won together in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Similarly, Burnett and Reddick have enjoyed success together within the sport. Burnett guided Reddick to an appearance in the NASCAR Playoffs last season on the strength of three top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. Their relationship extends beyond the NASCAR Cup Series, as Burnett guided Reddick to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in 2019.
“The relationship between myself and Randall [Burnett], and really the entire No. 8 team, is one of the key factors in the success we’ve had on the racetrack,” said Tyler. “To have a team that works so hard and so well together for a common goal puts so much more emphasis on winning and performing at our best. We accomplished a lot together last year and have a lot to be proud of, but we want to be even better this season. The goals are even greater because we know what we can do on the racetrack. Our teams work so hard every single day to consistently be in the mix and improve and our crew chiefs are the leaders of that in the race shop and at the track every weekend.”
The DAYTONA 500 airs live on FOX at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20.
