Rodney Childers has been the crew chief for SHR for a decade now; however, that journey will come to an end. Since Stewart-Haas Racing has decided to reduce their charters from 4 to 1, many members are looking to find a new team, and Childers is one of them. Originally, he was a crew chief for Kevin Harvick, but that changed in 2023 after the driver retired and rookie driver, Josh Berry came in. Now that the team is downsizing, Childers needed to find a new team and it looks like he has finally done that.

The latest update on Rodney Childers’ situation has emerged, stating that he will join Spire Motorsports as crew chief for the No. 7 entry with driver Corey LaJoie starting in the 2025 Cup Series season. Since the downsizing, Josh Berry found a seat in Wood Brothers Racing but Childers will not be moving with him. Spire Motorsports is a great option for Childers, as the team has recently heavily invested in NASCAR by purchasing a charter for $40 million, adding their full-time car for the 2024 season. So this should be considered a good thing, right?

Not all fans are excited about the new team as Twitter begins to explode with comments against the transfer, as many feel like Childers talents will be a waste in Spire. This idea stemmed from Corey LaJoie‘s performance this season. So when the post captioned, “Rodney Childers to Spire, He’ll be crew chief of the No. 7 car for Corey LaJoie next year,” surfaced on Twitter, many fans expressed their disappointment. Jeff Gluck broke out the news and soon after the post, his comments section flooded with fans who shared that Childers’ talents would be wasted with LaJoie.

With many fans talking about the transfer being an inadequate decision for Childers, the focus came down to LaJoie not performing well this season. The No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro driver has always been scrutinized for his performance this season. Now, with Childers joining as his crew chief, LaJoie will not have any excuse but to perform. For a driver who has been racing for a decade, LaJoie has never won in the NASCAR Top 3 series, and many fans believe that he will bring this flawed reputation to the Childers record.

Why are fans unhappy about Rodney Childers being Corey LaJoie’s crew chief?

“Corey gonna make Rodney look like a fool since Corey can’t keep a wheel straight,” said one NASCAR fan who does not believe in LaJoie’s driving. Among the 36 drivers that started the season, according to this fan, being LaJoie’s crew chief will make Childers look like a fool for someone who has seen Kevin Harvick win championships in both the Cup and Xfinity series.

This next fan went into elements of the driver’s career, saying he didn’t make the top 3. Mentioning his records of Top 4’s and 5’s, he explains how this is not an expected result after driving for 10 years. They added that they believe that another driver should get a chance in the team as beyond LaJoie’s speedway and drafting track success, he has not achieved any success. Their comment read, “This has to be it for LaJoie right? Never won in NASCAR top 3 series. Has 4 top 5’s and in 10 years of racing, all of which came on super speedways/drafting tracks. Nothing against Corey. Just think it’s about time to give someone else a shot in the 7.” 

“I feel like this has got to be Corey’s last shot to show something. It will not be a crew chief problem,” said this fan who believes 10 years is enough to show potential in NASCAR. Now that Childers will be the crew chief, the fan acknowledges this will be the driver’s last shot at proving himself in a team, that has almost everything right.

By now, if LaJoie has not felt the pressure, this fan believes it’s going to be at its peak next year. Having Rodney Childers as the crew chief leaves no room for excuses, and it is more of a ‘now-or-never’ situation for the Chevy driver. The fan explained this in their comment stating, “If next year wasn’t already make or break for Corey LaJoie, it sure as heck is now.”

“I hate that Rodney’s talents will be wasted on LaJoie,” said one fan who is not impressed with the driver so far. Being a fan of Childers, all fans want him to have the best spot in the sport. However, according to them, Spire Motorsports lacks the right driver to do him justice.

Considering LaJoie’s driving, do you think Childers made the right decision for his career?