Former Stewart-Haas Racing crew chief Rodney Childers recently reacted to the major change in stock racing in the 2026 season. NASCAR President Steve O'Donnell sat down with former Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his Dale Jr. Download podcast and confirmed the horsepower change for the next season.During the podcast, O'Donnell revealed that the governing body will increase the horsepower of the stock cars at road courses and all tracks under 1.5 miles in length for the upcoming season. According to the NASCAR president, the new horsepower will be 750 in the 2026 season on the selected tracks, up from 670 this season.Everyone, from fans to drivers, was impressed by this decision, and former Cup Series championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers was also on the list. Childers couldn't hold his excitement and expressed it via an X post on his account. He backdropped the podcast clip and wrote:"Great to hear. Excited to see this in 2026!"Continuing further in the podcast, Steve O'Donnell also explained why NASCAR didn't aim for 1,000 horsepower. He stated:"So, if you look at where we are today, where we can go without completely changing over the industry. And so whatever you do, you want to make sure that if you’re going to change the horsepower within the car, you’ve got to match it up with the aero of the car, you’ve got to match it up with braking. All of these different things come into play.”NASCAR President also revealed that the testing of the new cars and tires will take place during the off-season at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Additionally, the list of tracks with 750 horsepower features Circuit of the Americas, Watkins Glen, San Diego, Sonoma Raceway, and Charlotte ROVAL.Followed by oval tracks: Bowman Gray Stadium, Phoenix, Darlington, Martinsville, Bristol, Dover, Nashville, North Wilkesboro, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.“I started to look things differently”: Rodney Childers on his 'dream scenario' featuring an opportunity from Dale Earnhardt Jr.Earlier in September 2025, NASCAR crew chief Rodney Childers sat down with Motorsports.com for an interview following a major opportunity. During the interaction, Childers explained how he got the chance that led him to his 'dream scenario.'The 49-year-old worked with former Cup Series champion Tony Stewart's co-owned team, Stewart-Haas Racing. During his tenure, he worked as a crew chief for Kevin Harvick. Childers led Harvick to his one and only Cup Series championship title in 2014. Following the team closure, he joined Spire Motorsports for the 2025 season and left after just nine races.Then, Rodney Childers went to the CARS Tours and worked with Laden Lewis. The duo dominated the league with four wins. However, the former Cup Series champion's crew chief wanted more and aimed to compete in the big leagues once again. Following that, he jumped to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s opportunity and stated:“I opened myself up to talking to some Truck Series teams about some opportunities, and that caught Dale by surprise. He asked me, 'Do you really not have anything lined up yet?' and I told him where I was at, and then he told me about Connor and Carson, and it was just a dream scenario."Rodney Childers will now work with the NASCAR prodigy Connor Zilisch, along with Carson Kvapil, in the 2026 Xfinity Series season. Kvapil competes as a full-time driver this season but will switch to part-time status in the next season, and the duo will share the #1 Chevy.