Childers, former Cup champion, new team boss in Xfinity

Rodney Childers Finds New Home at JR Motorsports

Rodney Childers, the strategist who led Kevin Harvick to victory in the 2014 Cup championship, has secured a new position following his departure from Spire Motorsports in April. Childers will assume the crew chief role at JR Motorsports within the Xfinity Series, specifically for the No. 1 Chevrolet, which will be driven 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 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 had an interest in working together in motorsports, and I am grateful that this opportunity presented itself 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 team and he parted ways when both the driver and crew chief felt the relationship wasn’t working. Childers achieved 40 victories and a Cup title at Stewart-Haas Racing alongside Harvick, and then collaborated with Josh Berry in 2024, the year Harvick retired and marked the end of Stewart-Haas Racing.

NASCAR Parts Ways with Jusan Hamilton

Last Saturday, NASCAR confirmed the separation of Jusan Hamilton, race director, 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 started in 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 iRacing’s NASCAR divisions, in addition to serving as a race director. Hamilton was fundamental in setting up 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.