TC Daily Pit Stop: Justin Alexander Named Crew Chief for Austin Dillon; Cam Waters Pumped for NASCAR Truck Debut; Speedy Cash Backing Zane Smith; Elton Sawyer Explains No-Call on Hamlin's Jumped Start
TC Daily Pit Stop: Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Justin Alexander Replaces Keith Rodden as Crew Chief for Austin Dillon, RCR No. 3
After a subpar 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and a rough start to the 2024 campaign, Richard Childress Racing is making a change atop the pit box for its No. 3 NASCAR Cup Series team beginning this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
Justin Alexander, who previously spent five seasons as the crew chief for Austin Dillon, will reunite with the driver. The pairing collected four wins, 14 top-fives and 39 top-10s together.
Joel Keller has been named the team’s new lead engineer, and Keith Rodden, who had been serving as Dillon’s crew chief will move to a different role within the RCR organization.
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Cam Waters ‘Absolutely Pumped’ for NASCAR Truck Debut at Martinsville
Cam Waters, an 11-time Australian Supercars race winner, is set to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut on Friday in the Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Waters, who will drive the No. 66 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing, is excited for the opportunity.
“I’m absolutely pumped, so I’m super excited to be finally having a race over here in a truck,” Waters said on Tuesday. “I’ve always followed NASCAR and done a little valuable stuff myself on dirt in Australia, so to do a pavement oval is pretty cool for me and something I’ve always wanted to do.”
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“It’s a Bang-Bang Call,” Sawyer Cites Fast-Paced Finish for No-Call on Overtime Restart
The final restart of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway has been the talk of the NASCAR world. Denny Hamlin fired off before reaching the restart zone, won the race, and NASCAR didn’t penalize him.
On Monday, NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer addressed the restart and the no-call on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Sawyer admits that Hamlin jumped the start, and that NASCAR simply missed it.
“It’s a bang-bang call,” said Sawyer. “I had the opportunity to look Sunday, as well as multiple times yesterday. First and foremost, the No. 11 is the control vehicle, they have earned the right to be in that position, they have won the battle off pit road, they put themselves in a position to be able to control the restart, and as I looked at it yesterday multiple times, there’s no doubt he rolled early.”
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Speedy Cash Backing Zane Smith, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing at Texas
Speedy Cash, a longtime supporter of Zane Smith, will return to back the driver’s upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start in the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado for McAnally-Hilgemann. Smith will pilot the Speedy Cash sponsored machine in the April 12 event at Texas Motor Speedway.
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Blake Lothian Joins Young’s Motorsports for Martinsville Truck Race
Blake Lothian, who competed in two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events last season, is set to make his first start of the 2024 season Friday at Martinsville Speedway. Lothian will run the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado for Young’s Motorsports with primary sponsorship from GGT Energy Solutions, Inc.