Kevin Harvick to run Truck race in August at Pocono with JR Motorsports

   Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick will enter the Aug. 1 NASCAR Truck series race at Pocono, driving the No. 00 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, the team confirmed Friday to the Observer. 

   Harvick last competed in the series in 2013, when he ran both races at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for NTS Motorsports. His most recent win in the series came in 2012 at Martinsville. 

   JRM is fielding the No. 00 for the first time this season. Rookie Cole Custer is running 10 of the races with a handful of other races run with a variety of drivers.

Crew chief Rodney Childers signs multi-year contract extension with SHR

   Rodney Childers, crew chief for reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, has agreed to a multi-year contract extension that will keep him with Stewart-Haas Racing through the 2020 season, the organization announced on Friday morning.

   In his inaugural season as Harvick's crew chief, Childers and the No. 4 Chevrolet team won five races, won eight roles and led 2,137 laps en route to the duo's first championship. 
  

   “Rodney Childers and Kevin Harvick set a new standard of excellence in 2014 that they’ve carried into this season," said SHR co-team owner Tony Stewart. "Keeping Rodney and Kevin together was a high priority, and we’re obviously very happy to have the two of them at Stewart-Haas Racing for many years to come."

   Childers and Harvick haven’t let up in 2015. So far this season, they have two wins and nine top-two finishes. They enjoy a commanding lead in the series standings and have led 1,123 laps - nearly 26 percent of the laps run this season.

   “I knew when I came to Stewart-Haas Racing that this was a special opportunity,” Childers said. “Kevin’s skills have always been evident, and his hunger and desire to be the absolute best he can be in every practice, qualifying session and race motivates our entire team. We have great leadership at Stewart-Haas Racing along with a deep commitment toward success, excellent people and strong partners. If you want to win, this is where you want to be, and I’m happy to be here for a long time.”

Rodney Childers during a press conference at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 9, 2014 in Avondale, Ariz. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)