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 2014 Cup Series championship, has found a new position in the world of motorsports. 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. 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 had an interest 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 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. Subsequently, he worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the final year of Stewart-Haas Racing.

Jusan Hamilton Leaves NASCAR

NASCAR confirmed that it has parted ways with race director Jusan Hamilton with six races remaining in 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 iRacing racing divisions, in addition to serving as a race director. Hamilton played a fundamental role in setting the annual schedule and the schedule 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.