NASCAR Championship-Winning Crew Chief OUT at New Team
What’s Happening? Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Rodney Childers is parting ways with Spire Motorsports. Childers joined Spire this…
This weekend marks the 33% mark for the NASCAR Cup Series Season. One major storyline from this past offseason was major overhauls in the garage area, as several drivers have taken on new Crew Chiefs. So, how have these pairs done so far in 2025?
Stats Through 11 Races: 1 Top Ten
Justin Haley and Rodney Childers were expected to be under the spyglass of NASCAR fans throughout the season. Haley only entered seven races with Spire in 2024, taking over for Corey LaJoie after Bristol. Childers, a championship-winning Crew Chief, departed his long-time post at Stewart-Haas Racing to call the shots for the No. 7 in 2025.
Unfortunately, this pair has not blossomed into the force some thought it could, as Childers and Spire Motorsports parted ways just nine races into their deal. During that time, the team had just one top-ten start and finish, but had a better average start and finish than the No. 7 in 2024.
What’s Happening? Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Rodney Childers is parting ways with Spire Motorsports. Childers joined Spire this…
Stats Through 11 Races: Best Finish of 11th
Jeremy Bullins and Brad Keselowski reunited this past offseason. In 2024, Keselowski had a career resurgence, winning his first race since Bullins was on the box for him at Team Penske in 2021. Bullins also won his first race in some time last season with Harrison Burton.
These two only find themselves next to last because they are still together. Otherwise, it has been a miserable year for this reunited duo, who once had a four-win season in 2020. So far, their best finish is 11th, and Brad’s average finish has dropped from 15.6 in 2024 to a shocking 26.3.
What’s Happening? There’s no pressure like the pressure applied by NASCAR fans to a highly touted driver. Year in and year…
Stats Through 11 Races: 1 Top Five, 2 Top Tens
Though he had a strong start to the 2024 season and made the playoffs, by the end of the year, Joe Gibbs Racing knew something had to change for the No. 54 team. The team had a major reshuffle that saw Chris Gayle moved off the pit box for Tyler Allen, an eight-time Xfinity Series winner.
Through the first six races of the 2025 season, Ty Gibbs continued his cold streak that capped off his 2024 season, with a best finish of 16th. However, in the past four races, Gibbs has qualified and run better than he has in months. This duo seems to be finally turning a corner.
What’s Happening? Ty Gibbs had a hot start to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season; however, as the season drew to…
Stats Through 11 Races: 3 Top Tens
Austin Dillon has had a rotating door of Crew Chiefs in the past two seasons. He started his rocky 2024 season with Keith Rodden before switching back to long-time Crew Chief Justin Alexander. Now, Dillon is paired with former SHR Crew Chief, Xfinity and Cup Series winner, Richard Boswell.
On the surface, this duo may look like another disappointing start for Dillon. However, the underlying stats show that Dillon has improved his 2024 average finish from 22.6 to 18.1, and the No. 3 team has three top-ten finishes (Dillon capped his 2024 total at five). These two are quiet, yet effective; look out for them as the summer rolls on.
Stats Through 11 Races: 1 Top Fives, 3 Top Tens
John Hunter Nemechek and former Crew Chief Ben Beshore parted ways after just one season together. In his place, Legacy Motor Club signed former Trackhouse Racing and Hendrick Motorsports Crew Chief Travis Mack.
Mack and Nemechek started off the season with a career-best finish at JHN, fifth place in the Daytona 500. So far, the two have nearly blown JHN’s 2024 stats out of the water, with an improved average finish of 18.9, compared to a defending 25.4 last season. They also already have three top tens, one less than Nemechek’s 2024, and no DNFs.
What’s Happening? Winning at NASCAR’s top level is an achievement few have earned. As we enter the 2025 season, there are…
Stats Through 11 Races: 2 Top Fives, Four Top Tens
For 2025, 23XI Racing gave Bubba Wallace, who finds himself in a long losing streak, a new Crew Chief to take over for long-time shot caller Bootie Barker. The team opted for former McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Crew Chief Charles Denike, who led Christian Eckes to 22 top-tens in 23 Truck Series races last season.
If Boswell and Dillon are silent but deadly, Wallace and Denike are on a whole new level. Wallace currently sits eighth in points, has a career-best average starting position of 11.9, and is on pace for an overall improvement. The two have fallen on hard times, however, through the past four races, with just one top-ten and two lead lap finishes, hurting Bubba’s once stellar average finish.
What’s Happening? Every new NASCAR season brings a new set of interesting streaks to look out for throughout the year. One…
Stats Through 11 Races: 2 Wins, 5 Top Fives, 6 Top Tens
On the other side of the Ty Gibbs swap was veteran Denny Hamlin, who seemingly got the shaft when his long-time Crew Chief Chris Gabehart moved to the role of JGR’s Competition Director and Hamlin took on the struggling Chris Gayle.
Despite the adversity, Hamlin has already tapped into his seventh consecutive multi-win season, with two early wins at Martinsville and Darlington. His average finish is up to 13.3 from 2024’s 13.9. Perhaps Gibbs and Gayle were not the right fit, and Hamlin, once again, is set for another long, successful partnership.
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