Childers, former Cup champion, new crew chief in Xfinity Series

Rodney Childers Finds New Direction at JR Motorsports

After his departure from Spire Motorsports in April, Rodney Childers, known for leading Kevin Harvick to the Cup Series championship in 2014, has secured a new position. Childers will take on the role of crew chief at JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series for the No. 1 Chevrolet. The vehicle will be driven by Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. This will be the first time Childers serves as 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 has remained 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 were 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 relationship came to an end when both the driver and the crew chief agreed that it wasn’t working. During his time at Stewart-Haas Racing, Childers achieved 40 victories and a Cup title with Harvick. Subsequently, he worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the final year of Stewart-Haas Racing.

NASCAR and Jusan Hamilton: End of an Era

NASCAR confirmed that it has ended its working relationship with the race director, Jusan Hamilton, with six races remaining to finish the season. Currently, 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 professional divisions, in addition to serving as a race director. Hamilton played a fundamental role 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.