Rodney Childers, the experienced engineer who led Kevin Harvick to the Cup Series championship in 2014, has found 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, leading the No. 1 Chevrolet, which will be shared by Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. This will be Childers’ first experience as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series.
Earnhardt Jr. also added: “Rodney and I grew up together and have known each other since we were kids. That relationship has always been close and remains so to this day. We have always been interested in working together in motorsport, and I am grateful that this opportunity came up and we could bring him to the JRM family.” Childers previously collaborated 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 a Cup title with Harvick. After Harvick’s retirement, he worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the last year of Stewart-Haas Racing. In addition, on Saturday, NASCAR announced the departure of Jusan Hamilton, race director, with six races remaining until the end of the season. Hamilton is no longer listed as a NASCAR employee, where his official title was general manager of competition operations. Hamilton started in NASCAR as an intern in 2012 and returned in 2016, performing various roles. He oversaw NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, the development of pit crews, and the NASCAR iRacing professional divisions, in addition to his role as a race director. Hamilton was fundamental in defining both 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 Black race director to officiate the Daytona 500.Rodney’s resume and track record speak for themselves.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports
