NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace recently spoke about Spire Motorsports’ plans with Rodney Childers following Corey LaJoie’s departure from the team. Spire, which has three teams in the Cup Series and three in the Truck Series, has made major changes for next season. The team announced last month that LaJoie will not return to the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in 2025. LaJoie joined the team in 2021 and has earned four top-five and six top-10 finishes so far. He also finished fourth in the 2024 Daytona 500. Spier recently hired Rodney Childers from Stewart-Haas Racing as the new crew chief for the No. 7 team. However, a new driver for 2025 has yet to be announced. Wallace, a former driver, speculated that crew chief Childers will have a say in the contract and Spier will target a high-profile driver.
“They just released Corey LaJoie for next year, which means Rodney Childers will get to pick the driver,” Wallace said (5:13). “I think they brought in Rodney Childers to take the team to the next level. “They’re going to need a top driver, so I think they’re going to hire a top driver. They’ve got Zane Smith, they’ve got Carson,” he said (5:26).
“Rodney Childers is one of the best crew chiefs in NASCAR,” he added (9:00).
Spire Motorsports, owned by Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Pussiel, currently fields the No. 7, No. 71 and No. 77 cars in the Cup Series, with Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar driving the latter two. They’ll also field the same number of cars in the Truck Series, with different drivers rotating between them, such as Raja Carruth in the No. 7 and Chase Purdy in the No. 77. Spier’s first Cup Series win came with Justin Haley at Daytona in 2019. Her last Truck Series win came in 2024 at Texas Motor Speedway against Kyle Busch.
Spire Motorsports Trusts Rodney Childers
Rodney Childers is a very accomplished crew chief known for his collaboration with Kevin Harvick and their 2014 Cup championship. Spire believes Childers is among the best in the field and will help them advance and achieve new milestones.
“Rodney is a Hall of Fame-worthy crew chief with 40 championships,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson in an official statement. “He is one of the top professionals in the garage, and when someone like Rodney is available, it would be a mistake not to do everything we can to bring him into our expanding organization.”
Childers’ first win came when Reutimann won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte for Michael Waltrip Racing. He also triumphed at Chicagoland Speedway in 2010. Over three years, they secured two pole positions, two wins, 12 top-five finishes, and 21 top-10 finishes. Childers joined the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team as Harvick’s crew chief in 2014. Their first race together was at Phoenix Raceway, and they clinched the Cup Series championship that year.
