Childers, Ex-NASCAR Champion, New Xfinity Team Boss

Rodney Childers Finds New Direction at JR Motorsports

The renowned race engineer Rodney Childers, who led Kevin Harvick to victory in the 2014 Cup Series championship, has secured a new position following his departure from Spire Motorsports in April. Childers joins JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Childers will assume the role of crew chief for the No. 1 Chevrolet, which will be driven alternately by Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. This will be the first time Childers has worked as a crew chief 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 came up and we could bring him into the JRM family.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports

Childers previously collaborated with Justin Haley at Spire, but the relationship came to an end when both the driver and the crew chief considered it ineffective. During his time at Stewart-Haas Racing, Childers accumulated 40 wins and a Cup championship with Harvick. Subsequently, he worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the year Harvick retired and also the final year of Stewart-Haas Racing.

NASCAR and Jusan Hamilton: End of an Era

NASCAR announced its separation from race director Jusan Hamilton, with six races remaining to finish the season. Hamilton is no longer listed as a NASCAR employee, where his official title was general manager of competition operations. Hamilton began his NASCAR career as an intern in 2012 and returned in 2016, performing various functions. He oversaw NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, pit crew development, and NASCAR’s pro iRacing divisions, in addition to serving as a race director. Hamilton played a crucial role in the elaboration of both the annual calendar and the calendar for 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.