Childers, former NASCAR champion, takes on key role in Xfinity Series

Rodney Childers Finds New Destination at JR Motorsports

After his departure from Spire Motorsports in April, Rodney Childers, the experienced crew chief who led Kevin Harvick to the Cup Series championship in 2014, has found a new home at JR Motorsports. Childers will assume the crew chief role in the Xfinity Series for the No. 1 Chevrolet, which will be shared 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 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’ve always had an interest in working together in motorsports, and I’m grateful that this opportunity came along and we were able to bring him into the JRM family.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Co-owner of JR Motorsports

Childers previously 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 with Harvick, Childers achieved 40 victories and a Cup Series title. Then, in 2024, he worked with Josh Berry, marking the final year of Stewart-Haas Racing.

NASCAR and Jusan Hamilton: End of an Era

In other news, NASCAR confirmed the separation with race director Jusan Hamilton, with six races remaining to finish the season. Hamilton is no longer listed as a NASCAR employee, where his official position was general manager of competition operations. Hamilton joined NASCAR initially as an intern in 2012 and returned in 2016, performing various roles. He oversaw NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, the development of pit crews, and the NASCAR iRacing professional divisions, in addition to his role as a race director. Hamilton played a fundamental role in defining both the annual calendar and the calendar for each race weekend. His first race as race director was in 2018 at Pocono Raceway. In 2022, Hamilton became the first Black race director to officiate the Daytona 500.