The highly successful union of crew chief Rodney Childers and driver Kevin Harvick will remain together for the foreseeable future, as Childers agreed to a contract extension Stewart-Haas Racing announced Friday.
Stewart-Haas Racing signs crew chief Rodney Childers to contract extension
A multi-year contract extension ensures the formidable duo of Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers will remain together.
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Childers joined SHR prior to the 2014 season, tasked with building a team from the ground up for Harvick, who signed with SHR after 13 years with Richard Childress Racing and handpicked Childers to be his crew chief.
En route to the Sprint Cup Series championship, Childers guided Harvick to five victories and a career-best 2,137 laps led last season. This year, Harvick has two wins, seven second-place finishes and is again atop the point standings.
“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.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The team only said Childers signed a “multi-year” extension.
Prior to moving to SHR, Childers was the crew chief for Brian Vickers at Michael Waltrip Racing. Because he and Vickers had been longtime friends, Childers was reluctant to leave the organization.
But the persistence of Harvick and Stewart, who flew from Indiana to North Carolina to personally recruit Childers, swayed the crew chief. He left MWR late in 2013 to begin building Harvick’s No. 4 team.
“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.”
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