diff --git a/pkg/rke2/spw.go b/pkg/rke2/spw.go
index 083c653c7b4..5f260a7e54f 100644
--- a/pkg/rke2/spw.go
+++ b/pkg/rke2/spw.go
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/yaml"
 	runtimeapi "k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/runtime/v1"
+	crierror "k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/errors"
+	kubecontainer "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/container"
+	runtimeutil "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/util"
+	netutils "k8s.io/utils/net"
 )
 
 type containerInfo struct {
@@ -66,8 +70,8 @@ func reconcileStaticPods(containerRuntimeEndpoint, dataDir string) cmds.StartupH
 	}
 }
 
-// checkManifestDeployed returns an error if the static pod's manifest cannot be decoded and verified as present
-// and exclusively running with the current pod uid. If old pods are found, they will be terminated and an error returned.
+// checkManifestDeployed verified that a pod for this manifest is exclusively running with the current pod uid.
+// Pod sandboxes with a different uid are removed and an error returned indicating that cleanup is in progress.
 func checkManifestDeployed(ctx context.Context, cRuntime runtimeapi.RuntimeServiceClient, manifestFile string) error {
 	f, err := os.Open(manifestFile)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -75,45 +79,106 @@ func checkManifestDeployed(ctx context.Context, cRuntime runtimeapi.RuntimeServi
 	}
 	defer f.Close()
 
-	podManifest := v1.Pod{}
+	pod := &v1.Pod{}
 	decoder := yaml.NewYAMLToJSONDecoder(f)
-	err = decoder.Decode(&podManifest)
+	err = decoder.Decode(pod)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to decode manifest")
 	}
 
 	filter := &runtimeapi.PodSandboxFilter{
 		LabelSelector: map[string]string{
-			"component":                   podManifest.Labels["component"],
-			"io.kubernetes.pod.namespace": podManifest.Namespace,
-			"tier":                        podManifest.Labels["tier"],
+			"component":                   pod.Labels["component"],
+			"io.kubernetes.pod.namespace": pod.Namespace,
+			"tier":                        pod.Labels["tier"],
 		},
 	}
 	resp, err := cRuntime.ListPodSandbox(ctx, &runtimeapi.ListPodSandboxRequest{Filter: filter})
 	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to list pods")
+		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to list pod sandboxes")
 	}
 
-	var currentPod, stalePod bool
-	for _, pod := range resp.Items {
-		if pod.Annotations["kubernetes.io/config.source"] != "file" {
+	podStatus := &kubecontainer.PodStatus{
+		ID:              pod.UID,
+		Name:            pod.Name,
+		Namespace:       pod.Namespace,
+		SandboxStatuses: []*runtimeapi.PodSandboxStatus{},
+	}
+
+	// Get detailed pod sandbox status for any sandboxes associated with the current pod,
+	// so that we can use kubelet runtime logic to determine which is the latest.
+	// Ref: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/v1.28.2/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_manager.go#L1404
+	matchingPodIdx := 0
+	for _, podSandbox := range resp.Items {
+		if podSandbox.Labels["io.kubernetes.pod.uid"] != string(pod.UID) {
 			continue
 		}
-		if pod.Labels["io.kubernetes.pod.uid"] == string(podManifest.UID) {
-			currentPod = pod.State == runtimeapi.PodSandboxState_SANDBOX_READY
-		} else {
-			stalePod = true
-			if _, err := cRuntime.RemovePodSandbox(ctx, &runtimeapi.RemovePodSandboxRequest{PodSandboxId: pod.Id}); err != nil {
-				logrus.Warnf("Failed to terminate old %s pod: %v", pod.Metadata.Name, err)
+		statusResp, err := cRuntime.PodSandboxStatus(ctx, &runtimeapi.PodSandboxStatusRequest{PodSandboxId: podSandbox.Id})
+		if crierror.IsNotFound(err) {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		podStatus.SandboxStatuses = append(podStatus.SandboxStatuses, statusResp.Status)
+		// only get pod IP from the latest sandbox
+		if matchingPodIdx == 0 && statusResp.Status.State == runtimeapi.PodSandboxState_SANDBOX_READY {
+			podStatus.IPs = determinePodSandboxIPs(statusResp.Status)
+		}
+		matchingPodIdx++
+	}
+
+	// Use kubelet runtime logic to find the latest pod sandbox
+	newSandboxNeeded, _, sandboxID := runtimeutil.PodSandboxChanged(pod, podStatus)
+
+	// Remove any pod sandboxes that are not the latest
+	var sandboxRemoved bool
+	for _, podSandbox := range resp.Items {
+		if podSandbox.Labels["io.kubernetes.pod.uid"] != string(pod.UID) ||
+			(sandboxID != "" && sandboxID != podSandbox.Id) {
+			sandboxRemoved = true
+			if _, err := cRuntime.RemovePodSandbox(ctx, &runtimeapi.RemovePodSandboxRequest{PodSandboxId: podSandbox.Id}); err != nil {
+				logrus.Warnf("Failed to remove old %s pod sandbox: %v", pod.Name, err)
 			}
 		}
 	}
 
-	if stalePod {
-		return errors.New("waiting for termination of old pod")
+	if sandboxRemoved {
+		return errors.New("waiting for termination of old pod sandbox")
 	}
-	if !currentPod {
-		return errors.New("no current running pod found")
+	if newSandboxNeeded {
+		if sandboxID != "" {
+			return errors.New("pod sandbox has changed")
+		}
+		return errors.New("pod sandbox not found")
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+// determinePodSandboxIP determines the IP addresses of the given pod sandbox.
+// The list may be empty if the pod uses host networking.
+// Ref: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/v1.28.2/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_sandbox.go#L305
+func determinePodSandboxIPs(podSandbox *runtimeapi.PodSandboxStatus) []string {
+	podIPs := make([]string, 0)
+	if podSandbox.Network == nil {
+		return podIPs
+	}
+
+	// pick primary IP
+	if len(podSandbox.Network.Ip) != 0 {
+		if netutils.ParseIPSloppy(podSandbox.Network.Ip) == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		podIPs = append(podIPs, podSandbox.Network.Ip)
+	}
+
+	// pick additional ips, if cri reported them
+	for _, podIP := range podSandbox.Network.AdditionalIps {
+		if nil == netutils.ParseIPSloppy(podIP.Ip) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		podIPs = append(podIPs, podIP.Ip)
+	}
+
+	return podIPs
+}