Dale Earnhardt Jr. gives blunt expectations for Corey LaJoie with Rodney Childers in 2025

Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t expect Corey LaJoie to do big things with Rodney Childers as his crew chief right away. On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt said Spire Motorsports has some work to do when it comes to being a contender.

“I want to give Spire all the credit in the world. They are doing some great things, but damn I am so amazed at how short our freaking memories are,” Earnhardt said. “This team was racing a couple years ago running on old tires. Corey’s driving the car and having to race runs on scuffs and old tires and finish races. They’re budgeting for 28th like an average finish of 28th every year just enough to keep that charter that they got. Boy, they were bartering and trading fiddling and whittling with deals to make charters exist and be able to go to the racetrack.

“I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m not saying a Spire car can’t get a playoff spot.” Earnhardt then talked about predicting LaJoie reaching the playoffs this year. “I thought he was going to have some fortune and get a win like in Atlanta somewhere like that,” Earnhardt added. “But man, it’s just he’s not performed as well as I think he has in years past. …I think we’re asking too much to think that Rodney’s going to jump in there and ‘Oh man, they’re going to be 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th in the points next year battling right around that bubble like Bubba Wallace and the rest of those guys. I don’t think they’ll be quite there yet. I think 20th in points is the goal.”

Rodney Childers ready for a ‘tremendous opportunity’ with Corey LaJoie

Spire Motorsports hopes Childers will give LaJoie the boost he needs to become a top driver in the Cup Series. Childers has 40 Cup Series race wins and led Kevin Harvick to a Cup Series Championship in 2014.

“I think the biggest thing is seeing how Spire Motorsports has grown over the last couple of years,” Childers said in a news release. “They are investing in people, and that’s what makes a difference these days. We all buy the same chassis, bodies and parts. What makes a difference is the people. Spire continues to invest in the people within the team and they seek out good people to add depth to an already strong group. Corey (LaJoie) is a veteran of the sport and I think we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us.”