Larry McReynolds to Serve as Crew Chief For Jeffrey Earnhardt, No. 3 RCR Team at Talladega

After more than 20 years away from his tenure as a NASCAR crew chief, Larry McReynolds will end his, “sabbatical,” as he will serve as the crew chief for the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series team with driver Jeffrey Earnhardt next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

“Just for the record, at the end of 2000, I never used the word retired,” McReynolds quipped on FOX’s broadcast on Sunday. “I said sabbatical. It’s been a long sabbatical, but next Saturday, for the Xfinity race, Richard Childress has asked me to come back, sit on the box as a crew chief for the No. 3 car at Talladega with Jeffrey Earnhardt.”

The 63-year old McReynolds, of course, guided Dale Earnhardt, Sr. to his lone Daytona 500 win back in 1998, and the driver, crew chief pairing teamed for a second-place effort at Talladega in the spring of 1997. Now, he’ll look to help Jeffrey Earnhardt to a good finish on Saturday.

“Think about it, 25 years ago, I was his grandfather’s crew chief and we ran second in the Cup race in the spring of 1997,” McReynolds said. “So, I’m back on the box.”

Here is McReynolds breaking the news on the FOX NASCAR broadcast on Sunday:

He's back on the box! @LarryMac28 will be crew chief for @JEarnhardt1 and the No. 3 team for next week's Xfinity Series race at Talladega. pic.twitter.com/fUO609W3ax

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 17, 2022

McReynolds is a 23-time race winner as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series, but McReynolds will be calling the shots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the first time Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway.

Jeffrey Earnhardt, the grandson of the legendary seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, has made 135 starts throughout his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, and his best finish to date is a third-place effort at Charlotte back in 2019.