Rodney Childers, longtime crew chief for Kevin Harvick, recently revealed that a simple text from his former driver brought him back to the racetrack, and this time at a much more grassroots level.
Childers spent over a decade atop the pit box for Stewart-Haas Racing and guided Harvick to the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship. However, Childers is now back on the market after recently parting ways with Spire Motorsports. He served just nine Cup races as crew chief for Spire’s Justin Haley before getting axed.
Rodney Childers Opens Up About Kevin Harvick’s Surprise Request
Childers recently found himself back in the garage — not for a high-stakes Cup race but to help nurture the next generation of racing talent. After a surprise request from Harvick, Childers decided to return to the CARS Tour to lend a helping hand.
Talking to Frontstretch, Childers said, “Kevin texted me, I guess Monday afternoon, and asked me what I was doing this weekend and asked if I could go over to the shop and help his guys a little bit. They had a rough couple of weeks of ups and downs. I’m just trying to get back on track. So, I’m really just having fun with late models again.”
“This is my background. This is what I always loved, you know, back in the day. I raced here [Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C.] myself growing up. It’s a lot of fun,” Childers added.
Although Harvick himself was away in Texas for the Cup Series race on May 4 for Fox Sports, Childers was in North Carolina to help the guys out as they had struggled so far into 2025.
“We weren’t the best off the truck but continued to make real good adjustments all weekend long, and it just got better and better and better. That showed in the race, especially on the long runs, that we had a great car,” shared Childers.
He also spoke warmly about his strong bond with Harvick. Childers said, “It’s more of a friendship thing than anything. I think everybody knows how much Kevin has done for me over the years, so anytime I can help him, I’m going to do it.”
Talking about the ongoing search for a new crew chief job in the NASCAR Cup Series, Childers said, “Right now, I’m taking it day by day and hour by hour. I’m just trying to figure it out day by day and what holds next. I definitely want to continue to be in the Cup Series and continue to win Cup races, this is just a little bit of extra icing on the cake.”
Until an official crew chief job comes his way, Childers is likely to continue helping out Harvick’s team.