Kevin Harvick has already crossed the threshold from full-time racing into a broadcasting career. But the trailblazer journey that he has led so far continues to mesmerize any NASCAR fan. Several eminent personalities have lit up his racing path and helped him grow into the motor celebrity he is hailed as today. Harvick’s former crew chief occupies the front row in that crowd,

Rodney Childers is currently aiding Rookie Cup driver Josh Berry wade through races in the No. 4 Ford. But he fondly remembers the driver who was behind the wheels of the No. 4 until less than a year ago. Those memories are still cherished by Kevin Harvick, as he recently talked about Childers.

Kevin Harvick takes a friendly dig at former coach

The relationship between a driver and a crew chief is sacred. When Kevin Harvick first approached Rodney Childers to be his crew chief, things did not work out at first. Childers had a laid-back personality, and was used to working with placid racers like Mark Martin, David Reutimann, Elliott Sadler, and Scott Riggs. And Harvick stood as a stark contrast to that; with an unpredictable personality and instances of triggering conflicts for no good reason.

However, Harvick was determined, and ultimately an intimate bond was struck between the two in 2014. They started working together in the No. 4 team of Stewart-Haas Racing, making good memories ever since. Kevin Harvick recently recalled how blindly he followed Childers’ instructions.

On an episode of ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’, co-host Kaitlyn Vince asked if Childers had ever raised his voice. Harvick responded, “No, but you believed everything that he said. There were a lot of times I would sit there and watch afterward, I’m like, ‘Did you really know what was going on? Because I don’t think you really knew what was going on.’”

Rodney Childers and Kevin Harvick have been hailed as one of the best driver-crew chief duos of NASCAR. Harvick has forayed into the playoffs every season at SHR and has also won 37 races under the aegis of Childers. In Harvick’s final race in 2023, Childers tweeted an emotional message hailing his liaison with Harvick.

Kevin Harvick further detailed how a good crew chief’s mind works, “Sometimes as a crew chief, you have to be able to do the best thing from a psychology, mental coach standpoint to put your driver back where he needs to be, and you deal with it later. But during that time the driver’s never second guessing what you’re thinking because you’re just not thinking that he would do that to you right now.”

Now Rodney Childers is in his 20th NASCAR Cup Series season atop the pit box. Josh Berry has replaced Harvick, and Childers is happy with the rookie’s performance so far.

Childers lauds Berry’s efforts in Bristol weekend

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The Bristol race is a blazing hot topic right now, given the tire dilemma that had drivers scratching their heads. But SHR’s rookie driver Josh Berry handled it well. He qualified second in the pole start and emerged from a mid-race chaos to finish an impressive 12th place. His crew chief, Rodney Childers, did not hold back his joy at the No. 4 team’s effort.

He tweeted: “We had a great car all weekend and @joshberry did a great job…  Big thanks to everyone @StewartHaasRcng @roushyates and @FordPerformance… And thanks to @sunnydelight and everyone that supports us..👊🏻”.

Josh Berry is proving himself worthy to wield the No. 4 car, occupied by legends like Harvick and Dale Sr before. And Rodney Childers is supporting him like a pillar in his Cup efforts.

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