Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed the concerns regarding Carson Kvapil's part-time schedule next year. He thought it was a good opportunity for the 22-year-old to prove himself on the track despite the team dealing with a huge financial shift.Kvapil will continue driving the #1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, but will share the car with Connor Zilisch, who will graduate to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with Trackhouse Racing. Rodney Childers, the championship-winning crew chief for Kevin Harvick in 2014, will return to the grid to oversee the #1 team.In the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the JRM co-owner explained his perspective on Kvapil's part-time schedule for 2026, saying:“I thought this was an awesome opportunity. The support that Carson has had, financially, changed a bit. It's put us in this position where he won't be able to run every single race. But he's going to run a large majority of the season.”“With the pieces that we're moving around, and the development that we're going to do within our race teams, with Rodney coming in, I'm putting Carson in a really good spot to go win and prove what he can do,” he added.Dale Earnhardt Jr., a 26-time Cup race winner, also clarified that the decision was influenced by financial considerations, rather than the rookie's on-track performance.“We wouldn't be doing a part-time deal if we didn't feel like he was the one [...] I know a lot of people were disappointed that he wasn't going to be full-time. ‘What did he do wrong?’ He didn't do anything wrong. It was just a big shift in some financial stuff, and we were very lucky, in my opinion, to be able to get him as many races as he's going to get next year,” he stated.So far this season, Carson Kvapil has yet to capture a victory, but his consistency has kept him in contention. The rookie has earned six top-five finishes and 13 top-10s, securing a playoff berth in his debut year. Still, his performance has been somewhat eclipsed by JRM teammate Connor Zilisch, who has dominated with nine wins—six times more than defending series champion Justin Allgaier.“I'm so excited”: Rodney Childers on joining Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR Xfinity Series teamRodney Childers expressed his excitement about becoming the crew chief for the #1 JR Motorsports team next year. He looked forward to the opportunity, especially with Dale Earnhardt Jr. involved—someone he has known since childhood.In a press release, Childers said (via NASCAR):“I’m so excited to be joining the JRM family [...] Dale and Kelley (Earnhardt-Miller) have meant a lot to me for some 30 years, and I can’t wait to be part of this group.”From left to right: Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rodney Childers - Source: GettyAfter Stewart-Haas Racing shut down its operations in 2024, Rodney Childers briefly moved to Spire Motorsports to serve as crew chief for Justin Haley. The partnership was short-lived, however, leaving Childers without a team until JR Motorsports brought him on board for the 2026 season.