Legendary Crew Chief Confesses His Lack of ‘Bravery’ Cost Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart at New Hampshire

In an intriguing revelation, Stewart-Haas Racing’s crew chief Rodney Childers opened up about #4 Kevin Harvick’s recent performance at New Hampshire and the Tricky Triangle Pocono. Childers, who is known for his strategic brilliance for Tony Stewart’s team, opened up about crucial moments during the races at New Hampshire and Pocono.

The crew chief’s confession sheds light on crucial decisions that may have impacted their results, allowing them to finish any higher than P4 in both races.

Tony Stewart’s team’s crew chief confesses his lack of bravery

Rodney Childers, the mastermind behind Kevin Harvick’s #4, discussed the team’s performance at the Pocono and New Hampshire races when questioned about their position in the season. Childers acknowledged that they knew they could excel on tight racetracks, and their expectations were high at Loudon.

“4th place finish up at Pocono, 4th place finish up at New Hampshire; I know you don’t race for 4ths. How do you assess where you guys are at this point of the year?” asked Mike Bagley, host of the NASCAR Live podcast.

“Yeah, I think, you know going into these last couple of weeks. We knew we’d run well at those tight racetracks, and Loudon, we had a really good car all weekend long,” said Rodney. “And thought we had a shot at running well and having a win and all that kind of stuff. We felt we probably had the 2nd best car, we finished 4th. So, something that we could have done different there.”

“I should have made a little bit braver calls early in the race and got some tack positions early in the race,” he continued. “And in this past weekend, same deal, we had a really good car all weekend, I think whoever got out front had a shot at winning, we just never got ourselves out front, but overall strong car, felt like everybody had done a really good job of taking the right stuff there and felt good about it all weekend long.”

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This intriguing confession by Rodney Childers sheds light on the dynamics between a crew chief and a driver in NASCAR. However, another prominent figure in NASCAR — Dale Earnhardt Jr — has also shared his views on the partnership between Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers.

“They are really tough”, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s opinion of Team Tony Stewart

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his perspective on the formidable duo of Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers. In an episode of 4EVER Defining, Junior recalled an incident at Charlotte where he witnessed their sheer dominance on the track.

He recounted, “When they got paired up, I was pretty nervous. I was like, ‘Man, they could be tough’ and we go to Charlotte. We get out there and NASCAR wanted us to simulate some races. So they line us all up and drop the flag. I ran as hard as I could and I finished second or third. But I can see the leader and it’s Kevin. He’s sitting out there in front of us,  just running. We couldn’t none of us get near him.”

This display of unrivaled speed and precision left an indelible impression on Dale Jr. He saw the real potential of Kevin Harvick with Childers calling the shots.

Dale Jr admitted that he was initially apprehensive when the pair joined forces, fearing their collective strength. “They did another 40 lapper, and he did the same exact thing. And so I went to Steve Letarte after that and I said, ‘Man Did you see this the #4 car? They’re fast.’ I was like they just paired up! It’s all-new for both of them, new team, new crew chief, and they are really tough.”

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With Dale Earnhardt Junior’s glowing appraisal of Harvick and Childers’ partnership, it becomes evident that they are perhaps one of the best driver-crew chief pair in NASCAR. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Tony Stewart and the duo to see what they can do in Kevin’s last year.