Richard Childress Racing has made significant personnel changes ahead of the trip to Nashville Superspeedway, headlined by the retirement of longtime executive Andy Petree.
Richard Childress Racing announced the news Tuesday afternoon with a press release. The championship-winning organization also stated that Keith Rodden will take over as the interim competition director starting this week. Rodden served as Austin Dillon's crew chief until April when he took on a larger role within the organization.
Petree initially joined RCR as a crew chief in 1993. He took over the No. 3 team and won two championships with Dale Earnhardt. Petree won 15 races with the Intimidator, taking his career Cup win total to 25. He won one race with Phil Parsons and nine races with Harry Gant before joining RCR.
Petree has spent the past several years as executive vice president on the competition team. He has helped the organization secure nine Cup wins, 17 Xfinity wins, and an Xfinity championship. According to the organization, he was instrumental in overseeing the development of the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro.
"I'm incredibly grateful to Richard Childress for the impact he has had on my career, as well as the wonderful memories and on-track success we have enjoyed together," Petree said in a statement.
"Although my day-to-day involvement with RCR is changing, I will always be a fan and supporter of everyone in Welcome, North Carolina. I wish RCR the best for the rest of this season and beyond."
The change takes place amid a season of struggles for RCR. Kyle Busch, who won three races last season with the organization, is below the playoff cutline with only two top-five finishes and five top-10s. He has finished 35th in three of the past four races.
Austin Dillon is 32nd in points with two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 25.2. He has not finished better than sixth since crossing the line third in the 2023 Bristol Dirt Race.