Slugger Labbe to take over No. 3, Gil Martin to take over R&D leadership role
Welcome, N.C. (June 15, 2015) – Richard Childress Racing has made a change in crew chiefs for its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series program, effective immediately.
Veteran crew chief Richard “Slugger” Labbe will assume crew chief responsibilities for the No. 3 Dow/American Ethanol/Cheerios/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS team with Austin Dillon as the driver. Labbe’s first race with the team will be the Sonoma Raceway road-course event on Sunday, June 28.
Labbe’s wins include the 2003 Daytona 500 and 2011 Brickyard 400 championship, as part of 433 Cup starts to his credit. Dillon, a two-time NASCAR champion, is currently 23rd in driver’s points standings.
Martin will move into a leadership role within the RCR R&D Department, taking over Labbe’s responsibilities. As a Sprint Cup crew chief, Martin has visited Victory Lane 16 times in 472 NSCS starts, including a 2003 Brickyard 400 victory, and has finished in the top-10 in year-end championship points seven times. Martin also has eight wins to his credit in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
About Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing (rcrracing.com) has earned more than 200 victories and 15 championships, including six in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Its 2015 Sprint Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Dow/American Ethanol/Cheerios/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet), 2011 Brickyard 400 champion Paul Menard (No. 27 Menards Chevrolet) and 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman (No. 31 Caterpillar/Quicken Loans/Grainger/WIX Filters Chevrolet). Its XFINITY Series program includes Brian Scott (No. 2 Shore Lodge/Whitetail Chevrolet), 2012 Camping World Truck Series rookie of the year Ty Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/WESCO/Yuengling Light Lager/Red Kap Chevrolet), Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet) and a multi-driver lineup with Austin Dillon, Brandon Jones and Paul Menard (No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet) team
