Dale Earnhardt Jr. has confirmed one of the biggest crew chief signings for 2026. Veteran crew chief Rodney Childers will join JR Motorsports, working with Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. Childers announced the move himself, through a post on X.Childers reshared JR Motorsports’ announcement. He added his own message to it, writing,“So excited to be joining all the men and women @JRMotorsports .. To have the opportunity to work with @Carson_Kvapil and @ConnorZilisch is a dream come true. Thank you to @DaleJr @EarnhardtKelley and Mr H for giving me this opportunity!”Forbes reported that Childers pointed to his 30-year relationship with Dale Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt as a reason the move felt natural. He said he was impressed by what they have built at JR Motorsports and wanted to be part of it.Childers will take over the No. 1 team, which is Kvapil’s current ride. Kvapil has not won this year, but he has six top-five finishes and 13 top-10s in his rookie season. Zilisch, on the other hand, has won nine races and collected 16 top fives in his first full Xfinity season.Dale Jr. praised Childers’ record and spoke about their long-standing friendship. As he put it,“Rodney and I grew up together and have known each other since we were kids,”He added, “We’ve always had interest in working together in motorsports and I’m thankful that this opportunity came about and we could bring him into the JRM family.”Childers is a 40-time Cup Series race winner and the 2014 Cup champion with Kevin Harvick. He most recently worked with Justin Haley at Spire Motorsports but left after nine races. Before that, he stayed with Stewart-Haas Racing through Kevin Harvick’s retirement and Josh Berry’s move to the No. 4. This new role puts him back in a stable position with one of NASCAR’s most competitive Xfinity teams led by Dale Jr.Dale Jr. reacts to Ty Gibbs and Hamlin clashDale Jr. also gave his opinion on the clash between Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin during the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire. The two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates made contact while battling for 11th, which ended with Hamlin spinning Gibbs on lap 110.On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt Jr. said Gibbs could have avoided the problem by letting Hamlin go since Hamlin is in the playoffs while Gibbs is not. He pointed out that Gibbs has not been a strong teammate in the past.“Was it necessary for Denny to wreck him into the wall? Yeah, probably not. But damn it, gotta look at Ty’s history. He’s not been a great teammate at times,” Earnhardt Jr. said.Dale Jr. explained that in Gibbs’ position he would not have fought Hamlin for position. Adding,“So Denny is right in saying, ‘Look, man, you know you’re not in the playoffs. We are. You’re our teammate. Like, you’ll totally let him go… I’m totally gonna make myself as****e by running him hard, even for a couple corners.’”The controversy has put more attention on Joe Gibbs Racing during the playoffs. The next Round of 12 race, the Hollywood Casino 400, will take place at Kansas Speedway on September 28.