In the Pits- MBV

Riggs believes future is bright with Childers as crew chief

Rodney Childers and Scott Riggs’ re-lationship dates back to 1998, when the two were late model stock car drivers competing against each other at speedways in the Carolinas.

Now, seven years later, Childers is calling the shots for Riggs’ No. 10 Valvoline Chevrolet race team.

“Rodney’s got what it takes to be a successful crew chief,” offered Riggs. “The best part about our re-lationship is that Rodney knows ex-actly what I mean when I tell him how the car feels because he’s been in the seat. He can relate to what I’m saying and make the right adjustments.

“Bringing him on board at the beginning of the season helped the team’s performance,” he continued, “and I’m confident that with him becoming crew, we’ll continue to improve.”

Childers began racing go-karts in the World Karting Association when he was 12 years old and went on to garner seven South Carolina State Champ-ionships and five National Champion-ships before moving to the Late Model Stock division in 1997.

From 1999 to 2002, he drove in several series including the NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro series, Hooters Cup division, and in 2000 he competed in a NASCAR Busch Series race at Myrtle Beach Speedway.

After a full season of Hooters Cup in 2002, Childers decided to hang up his driving shoes and focus on being a Nextel Cup crew chief.

“I always knew if I wasn’t a race car driver, I wanted to be a crew chief,” explained Childers, who made his crew chief debut for the team at Pocono Raceway in June. “I’ve always looked up to crew chiefs, and I had respect for them as much as I did the drivers. I know that it takes a good crew chief to make a car go fast just as much as it does a good driver.

“Being a crew chief in the Nextel Cup Series is a dream come true,” he continued. “Scott and I have developed a good relationship over the years, and I really think we have the chemistry to be successful.”