Richard Boswell has joined Richard Childress Racing to take over as the crew chief for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team.
That was just the first of several competition related announcements from the organization on Wednesday. Boswell, who most recently took Chase Briscoe to a Southern 500 win and the Cup Series playoffs at the closing Stewart-Haas Racing also led that driver to a nine-win Xfinity Series season back in 2020. He takes over for Justin Alexander, who took over the No. 3 on a interim basis from Keith Rodden.
“I have tremendous respect for Richard Childress, Austin Dillon and all of the hardworking people at Richard Childress Racing and I am honored to have the opportunity to help contribute to the on-track success of the legendary No. 3 Chevrolet,” said Boswell. “My dad used to race with Dale Earnhardt so he was always a huge fan and the No. 3 was the car we all grew up cheering for in my household so this truly feels like a full-circle moment.”
His father was venerable short track racer Dickie Boswell.
Rodden, meanwhile, took over as interim competition director at RCR last year with the departure of Andy Petree and has been promoted to vice president of competition.
“I’m honored that Richard Childress, Torrey Galida, Mike Verlander and everyone at RCR have put their faith in me to take on a larger role on the competition side of operations as vice president,” said Rodden in a press release. “I’m excited for the future of this company and the promising new hires we have joining the great group we already have in Welcome. RCR has all of the resources in place to excel in 2025 and beyond, including a robust group of partners who we have already been meeting with to help contribute to our success.”
The team also hired veteran crew chief John Klausmeier as technical director, overseeing all engineering activities. The release states he will be ‘focusing his energies on vehicle systems engineering, design and metrology’
“I’m thrilled to join Richard Childress Racing as technical director,” said Klausmeier. “With such a rich history in the sport, I’m excited to contribute to their groundwork for success. I look forward to working with the team to pursue performance and refine processes, all with the goal of consistently contending for wins and championships. Growing up as a Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress Racing fan, it’s special to join the organization I pulled for in my younger years.”
Randall Burnett will continue to work with Kyle Busch as crew chief of the No. 8 Chevrolet in the Cup Series.
“Keith Rodden has stepped up in the interim competition director role this past season and has shown an eagerness to help improve and fine-tune all aspects of RCR,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “That enthusiasm and loyalty earned him the title of vice president of competition. I know he will do a great job serving our competition executives. John Klausmeier and Richard Boswell have both been great winners in the garage and I know their experience and skills will contribute to RCR’s overall success. I feel confident that all of our crew chiefs will do a great job leading their respective teams and we will give our partners, employees and fans plenty to be excited about in 2025. I’d like to acknowledge and thank Justin Alexander for his contribution to RCR. He and Austin Dillon won five Cup races together and we wish him the best.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
