Long-time NASCAR crew chief Rodney Childers has opened up on finally getting to work with his former high school classmate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The pair have both been in NASCAR for more than two decades now, and finally reunited under the same banner when Childers signed on with Earnhardt's JR Motorsports late last year.

Childers will be the crew chief for the No. 1 car in this year's NASCAR O’Reilly Series, which will be driven predominantly by Carson Kvapil (24 races), with Connor Zilisch making some part-time appearances.

The 49-year-old, who won the Cup Series as the crew chief for Kevin Harvick's No. 4 team in 2014, worked briefly with Justin Haley at Spire Motorsports last year before departing after just nine races.

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Childers: Money and glory means nothing when you're running 22nd

Speaking to NASCAR.com, Childers said of reuniting with Dale Jr: “I feel like there’s nothing better than working for one of your best friends, someone that is going to have your back and put you in an environment to succeed. He’s not going to let me fail.

"It’s been a ton of fun at the shop. That shop is the exact environment that I was looking for. Working with these guys and these old-style cars is what I always loved. It keeps me awake at night thinking of new things and how to make things better.”

He continued: “The more I thought about that, everything happens for a reason. The Lord has put me in this place for a reason. All this [expletive] is happening for a reason. It was time to do something different.”

The move is also theoretically a step down in level after such a long time crew chiefing in the Cup Series, but Childers said: “The money and glory doesn’t mean anything when you’re running 22nd every weekend on the Cup side and going home miserable every week.

"On this side, hopefully we can contend for wins every week, go home every single day with a smile on our faces. Some things happen for a reason, and we feel like this is one of them.”

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