Rodney Childers signs extension with Stewart-Haas Racing
LONG POND, Pa. — Crew chief Rodney Childers, who won a championship in 2014 during his first year with driver Kevin Harvick, has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Childers and Harvick hit it off right away last season, winning five races. They've added two more trips to victory lane already this year. Harvick currently leads the Sprint Cup Series point standings and is one of the title favorites again this season.
"Rodney Childers and Kevin Harvick set a new standard of excellence in 2014 that they’ve carried into this season," SHR co-owner Tony Stewart said. "Keeping Rodney and Kevin together was a high priority, and we’re obviously very happy to have the two of them at Stewart-Haas Racing for many years to come."
Childers was previously a crew chief for Michael Waltrip Racing and made a difficult decision in late 2013 to sign with SHR instead of leading Brian Vickers' No. 55 team.
But that turned out to be a good call, and Childers has quickly become known as one of NASCAR's brightest minds.
“I knew when I came to Stewart-Haas Racing that this was a special opportunity,” Childers said. “Kevin’s skills have always been evident, and his hunger and desire to be the absolute best he can be in every practice, qualifying session and race motivates our entire team.
"We have great leadership at Stewart-Haas Racing along with a deep commitment toward success, excellent people and strong partners. If you want to win, this is where you want to be, and I’m happy to be here for a long time.”