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…
Yesterday, in one of the most shocking developments of this young NASCAR Cup Series season, crew chief Rodney Childers and Spire Motorsports announced that they were parting ways. While Childers is going to “take a little time” before returning to NASCAR, fans are already speculating what teams could or should sign the former championship-winning Crew Chief.
What’s Happening? Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Rodney Childers is parting ways with Spire Motorsports. Childers joined Spire this…
Rodney Childers is perhaps one of the most successful Crew Chiefs in recent NASCAR history. In 21 seasons, both full-time and part-time Crew Chief, Childers has 40 wins, 299 top-10 finishes, and a drivers’ championship with Kevin Harvick in 2014.
Childers is best known for his time with Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing. The duo worked together on the No. 4 from 2014 until Harvick retired in 2023, but when Harvick retired, Childers stuck around at a soon-to-be-shuttered SHR.
When rumors first circulated that Childers could be on the free agent market for 2025, Spire Motorsports, looking to improve on past years of disappointing results, quickly snagged the veteran Crew Chief to pair with their No. 7 team in 2025. After a bit of reshuffling in their driver roster, Childers was paired with Justin Haley for the 2025 season. Through nine races, the pair had just one top-ten finish, yet they improved on the No. 7’s average finish from 2024.
However, there was trouble in paradise, and this week, Childers and Spire announced a mutual parting of ways. In his statement, Childers did not make any clear plans as to when or if he would return to NASCAR, stating that he wanted to “see what the racing world holds for me next.”
While Childers could return in a front-office role as a successful veteran Crew Chief, fans are already speculating about what team he could return to if he returns to the top of the pit box in 2026. There are many potential teams with veteran and rookie drivers that could snag this top free-agent Crew Chief. So, let’s look over a few that could use Rodney Childers in 2026.
We’re not going to throw out his partnership with Tyler Allen just yet. But Ty Gibbs is off to a pretty miserable start to the season after a solid sophomore effort with Chris Gayle at the helm. Prior to Gayle being shipped over to the No. 11 by Joe Gibbs Racing, this cold streak had already started for Gibbs in late 2024. Now they bring on Allen, who has yet to be a full-time Crew Chief in a NASCAR National Series and is off to a cold start with Gibbs.
Fans may draw the connection to the idea of Childers jumping on the No. 54 team due to the similar departure of former Spire No. 7 car chief Robert “Cheddar” Smith. Smith left the No. 7 for the No. 54 at the start of this month, and should Tyler Allen struggle the rest of the year in his new role, perhaps JGR should take on Childers as well.
Right now, it might be best for JGR to stick with Allen, as he and Gibbs seem to be finding their groove. They are coming off back-to-back top tens, something the No. 54 has not done since Michigan and Daytona last summer.
What’s Happening? Ty Gibbs had a hot start to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season; however, as the season drew to…
There’s a lot of talk about these struggles at Trackhouse Racing. Not only has the team cooled off tremendously from their hot start in 2022, but their drivers, including star driver Ross Chastain, have continued to dip in performance.
This year, the team finds itself winless through the first nine races of the season, with Chastain the only Trackhouse driver inside the top 25 in points. While Shane van Gisbergen is in his rookie season, and Daniel Suarez is often the topic of free agency for this next season, perhaps it’s a good time to really shake things up at Trackhouse.
Chastain is on year six with Crew Chief Phil Surgen, who came over from Chip Ganassi Racing with Chastain. Maybe a reshuffling while shuffling in someone like Childers could be a recipe for success at Trackhouse. That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom for the No. 1 team. Chastain and Surgen are currently improving on their stats from last season, with a slight bump in their average finish. Perhaps in the long run, they can keep this improvement going.
If Trackhouse really wanted to shake things up, they could pull a double switch. First, they could promote top prospect Connor Zilisch to the Cup level and then bring on Childers to get the young driver acclimated.
Zilisch is swiftly working his way through NASCAR and looks to be the future of the sport. Pairing him with a salty veteran like Childers could be the smartest move of this silly season. That being said, Trackhouse has to actively decide to call up Zilisch after one full season of NASCAR competition. Zilisch is currently performing well at the Xfinity Series level, but the young driver has just one Cup Series start under his belt.
Furthermore, last season, Childers was paired with veteran short track racer turned NASCAR Cup Series rookie Josh Berry. The chaos at SHR could be blamed for the duo’s lack of success, yet it’s still worth noting that Childers did not perform well with the first-year driver.
What’s Happening? This weekend, Connor Zilisch makes his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Trackhouse Racing. The Xfinity Series Rookie of the…
Another top prospect in the Chevrolet camp and a close friend of Zilisch is Jesse Love. Love currently drives for Richard Childers Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and sits fourth in points.
Love also made his NASCAR Cup Series debut this season, causing a stir amongst fans about a potential full-time future in 2026. While neither Zilisch nor Love has public plans to go full-time in 2025, there is a lot of excitement around the potential for a promotion for both of the talented young drivers.
For Love, it would take a dramatic move from RCR, such as moving on from Austin Dillon or Kyle Busch. If they do that, once again, pairing a rookie with a veteran Crew Chief like Childers could be another bold decision RCR needs to make to get back on track.
What’s Happening? Jesse Love is off to a solid start to his sophomore season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Love, at…
The final driver on our list is one that most fans pointed to immediately when Childers and Spire announced their split. Veteran driver Kyle Busch is perhaps in his last season at Richard Childress Racing, as poor performance and a career-long losing streak loom over the No. 8 team.
While he and Crew Chief Randall Burnett had a hot start to their time together in 2023, the cooldown has been quick and dramatic. Despite pleas to leave from his fans, the grass may not be greener on the other side for Rowdy. If Busch returns to RCR next season, and conditions at the two-car team have not improved, perhaps RCR could shake things up and pair Busch with Childers.
Obviously, it’s easy to compare Busch and Harvick in terms of success, and perhaps Childers is pursuing that experience in his next job.
What’s Happening? Kyle Busch is currently in one of the worst stretches of his career. A long losing streak, combined with…
Where do you think Rodney Childers should go next? Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
