Champion crew chief Rodney Childers signed with Spire Motorsports for a multi-year deal set begin in 2025, Spire announced July 9.
Childers will be in charge of the No. 7 pit box next year, with current crew chief Ryan Sparks solely moving into the role of competition director, a position he concurrently holds within the organization.
Corey LaJoie currently drives the No. 7 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“I think the biggest thing is seeing how Spire Motorsports has grown over the last couple of years,” Childers said in a team 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 is a veteran of the sport and I think we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us.”
“Our motto has been brick-by-brick for the last four years and this is another key component to building higher degrees of success,” Sparks added. “When you have the opportunity to bring in a championship- caliber crew chief like Rodney Childers, you have to capitalize. This is an incredible opportunity for the company and the bottom line is we’re all in this to put Spire Motorsports first.
“For me, this is an opportunity to be an asset across the board. There’s going to be a little bit of a transition but I’m excited to help all three teams and the company, as a whole. This move makes the whole group stronger.”
“We are beyond excited to announce Rodney Childers as the crew chief for Corey LaJoie and Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 team beginning in 2025,” Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson said. “There are decisions that professional racing teams make daily that take courage, require deep thought, and have some element of rolling the dice. To be clear, this wasn’t one of them.
“Rodney is a hall-of-fame worthy, championship-winning crew chief with 40 wins. He is one of the best in the garage and when a guy like Rodney is available, it would be malpractice if we did anything but our absolute best to bring him into our growing organization. He will make us better the moment he walks into our shop, and we look forward to his contributions to our collective success.
To accompany the victories, Childers has also earned 34 poles, 178 top fives and 298 top-10 finishes in 660 races.
Spire has one win to its credit with Justin Haley at Daytona International Speedway in 2019.
In 2024, Spire fields three teams, two of its own (LaJoie and Carson Hocevar) and one (Zane Smith) in a partnership with Trackhouse Racing. Hocevar leads the group in points, sitting 25th with two top 10s. LaJoie has one top five and top 10 and is 31st, while Smith is 34th with one top five and top 10.
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Yes ! Finally can start watching again.
He might be better at reining in Hocevar.