NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief to Lead the No. 1 Chevrolet in the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2025) – JR Motorsports today announced that former NASCAR Cup Series Champion crew chief Rodney Childers will be joining the organization in 2026 as crew chief of the No. 1 Chevrolet with drivers Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Childers, a 40-time race winner in the Cup Series, will enter into his first season as a crew chief in NASCAR’s second-highest level of competition.
“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.”
Childers most-recently served as crew chief for the No. 7 Chevrolet in the Cup Series for Spire Motorsports, but his most successful run came while calling the shots for former JRM drivers Kevin Harvick and Josh Berry at Stewart-Haas Racing, with the pairing of Harvick and Childers being one of the most successful in recent NASCAR history. From 2014 until Harvick’s retirement from Cup Series competition in 2023, the pair scored an astounding 37 wins, 148 top-fives, 230 top-10s and five Championship 4 appearances together, including the 2014 championship.
“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.”
Piloting the No. 1 Chevrolet for Childers in 2026 will be the dynamic duo of standout drivers Kvapil and Zilisch in a dual role.
Andrew Overstreet, who has been with JRM since 2020, will remain a key player within the organization for 2026.
Further announcements of the 2026 driver and crew chief lineup for JRM in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will come at a later date.
ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the racing operation co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame member and 15-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick. Now in its 24th year of overall competition, JR Motorsports competes in multiple divisions, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series where it currently fields four full-time teams and earned championships in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2024. The company also owns seven titles in regional Late Model divisions with consecutive championships in 2022-23 and a prized national title in 2020. To learn more about the organization, its drivers and its sponsorship opportunities, visit www.jrmracing.com.
