Kevin Harvick’s Crew Chief Gets Nostalgic as He Empathises With the Woes of Pit Crews in the Next Gen Era

Kevin Harvick and his crew chief, Rodney Childers, have both been working as a team for quite some time now. In fact, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver had recently revealed that one of the reasons he didn’t retire this year was because he enjoys working with Childers and the core group of people at SHR.

And Childers too has, on several occasions, expressed just how much he loves working with Harvick. However, the crew chief doesn’t seem to be enjoying his job at the moment. And that’s not because of Harvick, but because of the job itself.

The thing is, in the Next Gen era, it’s pit crews who are arguably having the worst time in adapting to the new car, new methods, and new rules. So far this season, we’ve seen wheels coming loose and pit crews being given hard penalties.

Justin Fiedler, the tire changed, recently shared a thread in which he made a case for the woeful situation of the pit crews this season. And it was on that thread that Kevin Harvick’s crew chief got nostalgic as he empathized with the situation of those who literally keep the car running in a race.

“It’s been tough lately. For 18 years I’ve watched pit road and hardly paid attention to the actual stop. Early in my career I wrecked us on pit road multiple times not watching pit road. This year, all I can do is watch the LF. Lucky enough we have been able to back up 3 times,” Childers wrote.

Kevin Harvick on why he didn’t call it off this season

In an interview, Kevin Harvick opened up on the reasons, and the factors that came into play in his decision to not retire after the 2020 season. “I like the people here. That’s really the biggest reason that I like to do it, especially this year,” he said.

“I like the core group of guys that I started here with. That’s why they all came here, and I guess I would feel like I’m abandoning them if I didn’t go a couple more years.”

The former Richard Childress Racing driver emphasized that he still enjoys the challenge, that he’s enjoying where the Cup Series currently is, and where it’ll head.

Also Read: “Learn From Your Mistakes” – Bubba Wallace Has a Sage Advice for His NASCAR Boss Denny Hamlin Amidst Kyle Larson Controversy