Childers, NASCAR champion, new crew chief in Xfinity Series

Rodney Childers Finds New Direction at JR Motorsports

Following his departure from Spire Motorsports in April, the renowned Rodney Childers, who led Kevin Harvick to the Cup championship in 2014, has found a new challenge in his professional career. Childers will assume the crew chief role at JR Motorsports in 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 has served 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 been interested in working together in motorsports, and I am grateful that this opportunity came up and we could bring him into the JRM family.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports

Childers collaborated 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 the Cup title with Harvick. Subsequently, he worked with Josh Berry in 2024, the last year of Stewart-Haas Racing’s existence.

NASCAR Parts Ways with Race Director Jusan Hamilton

In other news, NASCAR confirmed its separation from race director Jusan Hamilton, with six races remaining to finish the season. Hamilton, whose official title was managing director of competition operations, is no longer listed as a NASCAR employee. Hamilton joined NASCAR initially 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 his role as a race director. Hamilton played a fundamental role in the elaboration of both the annual calendar and the calendar 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.