Updated JUN 05, 2015 10:25a ET  You could call it an early birthday present, except this is one that Rodney Childers obviously has earned.  Childers, who will turn 39 at work this Sunday at Pocono Raceway, has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain crew chief for Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing, the organization announced on Friday. In their first season together last year, the pair teamed up to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.  "I knew when I came to Stewart-Haas Racing that this was a special opportunity," Childers said in a statement released by SHR. "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."  In his inaugural season as crew chief for Harvick and the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's-sponsored team in 2014, Childers oversaw an outfit that won five races, scored eight poles and led 2,137 laps en route to the championship. The Childers-led squad became only the third Sprint Cup team since 2000 to lead more than 2,000 laps in a single year, and of the 24 track qualifying records set during the 2014 season, the No. 4 team accounted for six of them. No other team had more than four.  Childers and Harvick haven't slowed down in 2015.  They have a commanding lead in the series points standings heading into this Sunday's race at Pocono, thanks to two wins, nine top-two finishes and 12 top-10 finishes. Their two wins came back-to-back early in the season at Las Vegas and Phoenix, and Harvick also has finished second a remarkable seven times in the first 13 races.  They've also led 1,123 laps this season, or 25.99 percent of the laps available. No other driver has led more than the 659 led by Kurt Busch, Harvick's SHR teammate.  "Rodney Childers and Kevin Harvick set a new standard of excellence in 2014 that they've carried into this season. 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," said Tony Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation.  "I've always believed in investing in exceptional, individual leaders and then providing the resources necessary for them to pave their own path and deliver results. Rodney's results speak for themselves, and we're glad to have him helping this organization shape its future," Haas added.
After winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship last season in his first year atop Kevin Harvick's pit box, crew chief Rodney Childers knew Stewart-Haas Racing was where he wanted to be for the long haul. So now he has signed a contract extension to make that a reality.