Rodney Childers explains why Spire, becoming crew chief for Corey LaJoie was the first move
Rodney Childers is set for a new opportunity in 2025 having signed a multiyear deal with Spire Motorsports to serve as the crew chief for the No. 7 team and Corey LaJoie.
Spire announced the deal Tuesday, bringing an end to Childers’ decade-long run atop the pit box of the No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing. Childers, appearing on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, said that his familiarity with members of Spire played a role in him making the jump. Several former members of the No. 4 team joined Spire following Kevin Harvick’s retirement after the 2023 Cup Series season.
“Everything kind of happens for a reason. And those guys were great to me right off the get go,” Childers said. “I was kind of fortunate that quite a few of my guys left at the end of the last year when Kevin [Harvick] was leaving. And they went to Spire. I was able to stay in contact with them throughout the year. There’s some of them that are my best friends honestly. And to hear what their thoughts were day in and day out, how it operates. The lunches they have every single Wednesday and Friday. All the employees, the culture that they have there.
“Everybody that left the 4 car that was one of the top teams in the whole sport absolutely loved it there. And that meant a lot to me. That’s people that I can trust, and I can lean on. And for me to go over there and be able to see the shop. Immediately I picked up on those five or six guys that left the 4 car.”
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Rodney Childers joins Spire Motorsports, will work with Corey LaJoie
For the first nine years of his tenure at SHR, Childers worked with Harvick. The pair won a Cup Series championship and 37 races. Childers is the winningest active crew chief in NASCAR‘s premier series. After Harvick retired, Childers transitioned to working with Josh Berry. Berry is joining Wood Brothers Racing in 2025 with SHR closing up shop at the end of the season.
There was discussion about Childers potentially following Berry to WBR, but he instead gets a fresh start at Spire. LaJoie is in the middle of his fourth full-time season with Spire, a season which has been a tough go for him thus far. Through 20 races, he sits 31st in the points standings with one top-five finish. With Childers aboard, LaJoie will look to turn things around next season.
“Plenty of work to do to finish this year strong, but really excited to get the chance to work with a championship winning guy in Rodney next season,” LaJoie wrote on X. “Rodney’s credentials speak for themselves.”