Childers, Ex-NASCAR Champion, New Xfinity Team Boss

Rodney Childers Finds New Direction at JR Motorsports

Seasoned engineer Rodney Childers, known for guiding Kevin Harvick to the Cup championship in 2014, has secured a new position following his departure from Spire Motorsports in April. Childers will assume the crew chief role at JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, specifically for the No. 1 Chevrolet, which will be driven alternately by Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. This will be the first time Childers has served as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series.

“Rodney’s resume and track record speak for themselves,” commented Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports. “Rodney and I grew up together and have known each other since we were kids. That’s a relationship that has always been close and has remained so to this day. We’ve always had an interest in working together in motorsports, and I’m grateful that this opportunity came up and we could bring him into the JRM family.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Childers previously worked with Justin Haley at Spire, but the relationship ended due to differences between the driver and the crew chief. During his time at Stewart-Haas Racing, Childers achieved 40 victories and the Cup title with Harvick. Subsequently, he collaborated with Josh Berry in 2024, the last year of Stewart-Haas Racing’s existence.

NASCAR Confirms Jusan Hamilton’s Departure

NASCAR announced the departure of Jusan Hamilton, race director, with six races remaining to finish the season. He is no longer listed as a NASCAR employee, where his official title was managing director of competition operations. Hamilton joined NASCAR as an intern in 2012 and returned in 2016, performing various roles. He oversaw NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, pit crew development, and the NASCAR iRacing professional divisions, in addition to serving as a race director. Hamilton played a crucial role in defining the annual calendar and that of each race weekend. His first event as race director was in 2018 at Pocono Raceway. In 2022, Hamilton became the first African-American race director to officiate the Daytona 500.