Rodney Childers Details the Motivation Behind Continuing as a NASCAR Crew Chief: “Working With Josh Lit a Fire”

Nilavro Ghosh | 11/07/2024
Oct 13, 2018; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Adam Stevens (L) and NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Rodney Childers (R) talk during practice for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney Childers is no longer a free agent after being swooped up by Spire Motorsports as Corey LaJoie’s new crew chief. With 40 race wins to his name, the veteran is the most successful crew chief in the Cup Series today. Some fans speculated that he might be switching to more of an administrative role after SHR closed shop. However, working with Josh Berry this season has reignited his desire to be successful.

In a recent media interaction, the Cup Series-winning crew chief said that there were personal aspects to his decision as well. But the biggest motivation was to have fun and be successful. Childers is not satisfied with 40 race wins, he wants more to be considered as one of the greatest of all time. Considering how Spire Motorsports is gearing up for next season, it would not be surprising to see him immediately work his magic.

“Working with Josh lit a fire to keep going and keep having fun,” he said. “I still want to win races. They say 40 is enough, it’s not the thing to say. You want to get to 50 to be right there with some of the best that’s ever been in the sport.”

Childers is an amazing appointment for Spire but it is an opportunity missed out for others. However, the crew chief admitted that he too had his eyes on the team for a while.

Why did Rodney Childers choose Spire Motorsports?

Spire Motorsports has made some big moves of late and the future is looking bright. It’s not just the drivers, but the team that works tirelessly behind the scenes. Their investment in that part of the team impressed Childers. Now, he too is part of the process and will be looking to build a team good enough to regularly make the playoffs.

“The thing that attracted me to Spire a lot was just they’re investing in the people. And if we’re all going to have to run the same parts, then the people is what’s going to make a difference,” he said.

It will be interesting to see how the #7 team runs next season. Corey LaJoie has vast reserves of experience and he’s paired up with one of the most coveted crew chiefs in the sport today.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
Corey LaJoie Josh Berry Rodney Childers

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Nilavro Ghosh

Nilavro is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. His love for motorsports began at a young age with F1 and spread out to other forms of racing like NASCAR and Moto GP. After earning his post-graduate degree from the Asian College of Journalism in 2020, he has mostly worked as a motorsports journalist. Apart from covering racing, his passion lies in making music primarily as a bass player.

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