After his retirement, there are several Kevin Harvick moments worth reminiscing about his good old days on the racetrack. How he dominated countless races, including the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series finale run at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. But what’s interesting is that it’s his long-time crew chief this time, who has seemingly gone into nostalgia, even though he’s not retired yet.
Rodney Childers entered the NASCAR fray as a driver. However, little did he know that within three years, he would go after a different calling, ultimately transitioning to a highly successful career as a sought-after crew chief.
Rodney Childers travels down memory lane
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In 2000, Childers kicked off his NASCAR Cup Series career in the Busch Series at Myrtle Beach Speedway, driving the #49 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Jay Robinson Racing. However, just three years after in 2003, Childers retired as a driver but joined Penske-Jasper Racing as a mechanic for their #77 Dodge.
During his two-year stint at Penske-Jasper Racing, Childers honed the required skills, following which, in 2005, he started working at MB2/MBV Motorsports, as a crew chief for Scott Riggs. His expertise and talent didn’t go unnoticed and became a very successful crew chief and recently clinched the ‘600 races as a crew chief’ mark, with his long-time partner Kevin Harvick.
It’s been almost two decades since Childers began his memorable stint in NASCAR, following which a revelation was made on X, wherein the #77 Dodge, from his early days resurfaced. It didn’t take much time for Harvick’s long-serving crew chief to reply to the post and share his nostalgic feeling with the community. Childers quickly found himself in the decades-old picture and wrote, “I see me! It’s been a while!”
👊🏻👊🏻
I see me! It’s been a while! https://t.co/4dyCils6BF— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) December 28, 2023
Childers surely went back in time and had a good stretch pondering upon his mechanic days. Despite mentoring several drives under his belt, it was Harvick with whom he had the longest time.
The exemplary driver-crew chief duo
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Being one of the best crew chief-driver duos, Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers showed from time to time, how relationships in the racing scene are kept strong.
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In 2014, Childers made his move from Michael Waltrip Racing to Stewart-Haas Racing, as a crew chief for Harvick. Clinching five wins, 14 top-5s, and 20 top-10 finishes, the Harvick-Childers duo were dominant enough to secure the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, and their journey from there was cemented for eternity.
Harvick told motorsport.com about his smooth relationship with Childers and said, “I think a lot of that just falls into the understanding that we know each of us can do the job, and we believe in that and each other, and a lot of that comes down to conversations, being able to communicate.”
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After Harvick’s retirement, Childers will look after Josh Berry’s NASCAR races from 2024. Do you think that Childers could bond the same way with his new driver?