Childers Joins JR Motorsports: New Crew Chief in Xfinity Series

Rodney Childers Finds New Home at JR Motorsports

After leaving his position at Spire Motorsports in April, Rodney Childers, known for leading Kevin Harvick to the Cup Series championship in 2014, has found a new challenge in the world of motorsports. Childers will serve as crew chief at JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, leading the No. 1 Chevrolet, which will be driven by Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. This will be the first time Childers takes on the crew chief role in the Xfinity Series.

Rodney’s resume and track record speak for themselves. 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 remains so to this day. We have always been interested in working together in motorsports, and I am grateful that this opportunity has presented itself and we have been able to bring him into the JRM family.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports.

Childers worked with Justin Haley at Spire, but the team and he parted ways when the relationship, according to both, didn’t work. Previously, Childers achieved 40 wins and a Cup title with Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing, and then worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the final year of Stewart-Haas Racing.

Jusan Hamilton Leaves NASCAR

NASCAR confirmed that Jusan Hamilton, race director, has left the organization with six races remaining in 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 NASCAR’s iRacing professional divisions, as well as being a race director. Hamilton played a fundamental role in setting the annual calendar and the program for 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.