Rodney Childers spent 30 minutes in the NASCAR Cup Series hauler on Friday morning at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and as he explained with his signature smirk, it wasn’t because he was in trouble for once.
No, this was the first real networking weekend for the future Hall of Fame crew chief a month after parting ways with Spire Motorsports. This is the first time the 48-year-old has been at the track since that development.
Every time you walk by Childers, he is having a different conversation with a fellow crew chief, competition director or a reporter for a story like this.
“It’s just, you know, a lot of respect here,” Childers told The Sporting News. “I have so much respect for this sport, the other crew chiefs, car chiefs, mechanics, reporters and broadcasters.
“There isn’t a part of this sport that I have ever disliked. I miss being on the pit box and leading a group. The thing I miss the most is being the leader — controlling a meeting and all those things. But yeah, the phone has been pretty quiet, and I wish I could say different, but it’s been pretty quiet.”
So yeah, some of this weekend is just to catch up but Childers also wanted to make clear that this is where he wants to be. He wants to be running point for a Cup Series team like he has for over two decades now.
After winning 37 races and a championship with Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing, Childers signed with Spire after the former organization shuttered at the end of last season. He was paired with Justin Haley and it just didn’t work out leading to a premature split.
Childers recognizes that it’s probably a little too early for crew chief silly season to start but he wasn’t going to drive to Texas and Kansas for logistical reasons but absolutely wanted to be seen and heard at Wilkesboro this week.
“At the same time, I also think it was for the best to let things calm down a little bit,” Childers said. “I’ve been able to spend time and enjoy some things with (wife) Katrina and the boys, spend Mother’s Day with my mom but I needed to get back to the race track.
“I wanted to see this group, the teams and officials, because I’ve had some people reach out but there’s just not a lot out there this time of the year.”
Beyond catching up on things around the house, Childers has also remained busy in motorsports working with Harvick on his CARS Tour operation. Since Childers has joined their program, full-time driver Landen Lewis has won the race at Ace Speedway and claimed the pole for the nationally televised race at Wilkesboro on Friday night.
Childers, who spent his earliest years racing Late Model Stocks before becoming a crew chief, loves this discipline and is always willing to make time for Harvick.
“I mean, the biggest thing is just when Kevin asks me to do something, I do it,” Childers said. “You know, everyone knows how much he’s done for me over all the year and he changed my whole life.
“You think about the Cup races we won and our relationship is just something that people don’t come across often in this sport. He asked me to help them out and it’s just been really great working on some things over there.”
Childers is working alongside usual KHI crew chief Miles Copenhaver, who also previously worked with he and Harvick in the Cup Series.
“The best thing is just how open Miles has been,” Childers said. “He’s just a great person and worked for me for a long time and so it’s just been a natural thing for us to do together. I’m okay if we have different opinions on how to do something and that’s been fun.
“And then there’s just Landen, I love that kid to death. He has everything it takes to make it to the Cup level and I want to help him succeed because he’s got speed and he’s a good person.”
Childers said Lewis is just a great communicator, something he says is half the battle in making it to the highest levels of the sport, and has enjoyed helping him put together the rest of it in the CARS Tour right now.
But again, make no mistake, Childers wants to be back in the garage, leading a Cup Series team. He’s at 685 starts on top of the pit box and wants to reach 700. He’s at 40 wins and wants 50 and a chance to win another championship.
Childers is making the most of the time he has been provided but wants to be back on the road.
“I’ve had people say, ‘oh, you’re enjoying that boat,’ and I’m like ‘no, I have a boat deal and if I don’t post pictures of it every week, I lose the boat,” Childers said with a laugh. “I’m not enjoying the boat right now. I’ve been working on Late Models.
“So it’s been interesting to learn the different perspectives of what people think I’m doing and how social media deals like that work. People think we’ve spent time at our mountain home and I’m like, ‘no, I’m working hard to figure out what’s next.’
“I want to be here. I’m learning a lot about myself and what means the most to me, but I want to be in the Cup Series.”
Childers credited his wife for her patience and understanding as they work through this. They don’t want to knee-jerk decisions like where they live or what investments they have around his current employment status.
“We’re trying to take the time to enjoy our lives a little bit more right now and hopefully reach a point where we have choices for me to make based on what is fun, the ability to win races, and having the right relationships,” Childers said. “I’ve had a lot of support and thank god I have an incredible wife.
“It’s been interesting. There’s been good days and bad days. Some are tough as hell, where I pull up to a red light with tears in my eyes, and then I come home some days, thankful as hell that I get to spend so much time as home, with my mom, and Katrina.
“I just think that right now I’m in a position to learn a lot over the next couple of months about what life is all about.”
