Childers, former Cup champion, new crew chief in Xfinity for JR Motorsports

Rodney Childers Finds New Home at JR Motorsports

The renowned engineer Rodney Childers, who led Kevin Harvick to the Cup Series championship in 2014, has secured a new position after leaving 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 the first time Childers serves as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series.

Rodney’s resume and career 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 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.

Childers collaborated with Justin Haley at Spire, but the relationship came to an end when both the driver and the crew chief felt it wasn’t working. During his time at Stewart-Haas Racing, Childers achieved 40 victories and a Cup title with Harvick, and then worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the final year of Stewart-Haas Racing.

NASCAR Parts Ways with Race Director Jusan Hamilton

In addition, NASCAR confirmed its separation from race director Jusan Hamilton, with six races remaining to finish the season. He is no longer listed as a NASCAR employee, where his official title was general manager 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 divisions, in addition to serving 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.