Rodney Childers to join JR Motorsports as a crew chief in 2026

Rodney Childers will be back atop the pit box in 2026, working as a crew chief for JR Motorsports and the No. 1 Chevrolet.

Childers brings with him the experience of over 600 Cup races, including 40 race wins and the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Kevin Harvick. He joined Spire Motorsports after a decade with Stewart-Haas Racing, but Spire and Childers parted ways early in the 2025 season. Before SHR, he led Michael Waltrip Racing to its first two victories as a team, as well as its last before shutting down.

“Rodney’s resume and career speak for itself,” said JRM team owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. “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 close to this day. We’ve always had interest in working together in motorsports and I’m thankful that this opportunity came about and we could bring him into the JRM family.”

This will be his first time working as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series, which is set to be rebranded as the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series next season.

JRM also revealed details about the driver lineup for its No. 1 car, as Carson Kvapil will shift away from being the full-time driver to a part-time role. He will share the seat with Connor Zilisch, who will run an unspecified number of races while competing in his first full season at the Cup level with Trackhouse Racing.

“I’m so excited to be joining the JRM family,” said Childers. “To see what Dale, Kelley and Mr. H have built here is quite amazing and their results show for themselves. Dale and Kelley have meant a lot to me for some 30 years and I can’t wait to be part of this group. Plus, I get to be the lucky guy to lead two amazing young men that have a huge amount of talent and a big future in our sport.”

Andrew Overstreet, who is the current crew chief for the No. 1, will remain with the organization. While JRM has enjoyed tremendous success this year, the No. 1 is their only car yet to reach Victory Lane in 2025.