It was in 2024 that Stewart Haas Racing announced that they would be ceasing operations from the upcoming season. The team regained only one charter for the Haas Factory Team and had to let go of a major workforce. This emerged as the right time for Rodney Childers, who has appeared for 676 cup races till now to move onto greener pastures.

Soon it came to light that Rodney Childers had signed Spire Motorsports on a multi-year deal. Rodney Childers, a highly accomplished crew chief with 40 NASCAR Cup Series race wins, is widely regarded as one of the most respected strategists in the sport. His leadership played a pivotal role in guiding Kevin Harvick to the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Childers will be the crew chief for Justin Haley in 2025

The news of Stewart Haas Racing calling ends was in the talk for quite some time now, although the announcement was made during the last season. It was in July that Childers and the Spire Motorsports team formally announced the partnership. However, Childers has been vocal about why he opted to join Spire Motorsports. Moreover, he revealed that the team has consistently cultivated a positive environment. 

Speaking of the same, he said in a conversation with Kenny Wallace, “I ended up losing probably five guys off the No. 4 team who came to Spire and worked here last year. I kept up with those guys, and every time I talked to one of them, they loved working here and loved the atmosphere”.  Dax Gerringer joined Spire Motorsports to serve as their technical director. Before this stint, he had been an important part of the Stewart Haas Racing team and had worked extensively for nine seasons, where he was the lead race engineer. Even Michael McDowell left the SHR team and joined Spire Motorsports. 

Childers, being the true crew chief that he is had kept a close check on them and occasionally collected feedback on how the experience was. Spire Motorsports consistently got into the top chart with the recruitments they had made throughout the last season. They even hired Matt McCall, who served as the crew chief for Brad Keselowski. Speaking of how he had been on the tab, Childers said, “Throughout the year, I paid a lot of attention to what Spire was doing as a company and where they were going. When I got looking, I had a few phone calls here and there, and I really liked what they had to say and where they were headed. The biggest thing was—they had a plan. Not many people I talked to had a plan, and they had one”. 

While Childers had joined in initially as the crew chief for Corey LaJoie, during a mid season swap, Justin Haley replaced him. Although it was conjecture that it is only for one season, an official announcement came to light that Haley would be with Spire Motorsports in the 2025 cup season as well. Consequently, Childers will be the crew chief for Justin Haley. Haley provided the springboard for success for the team in his debut Truck Series run. 

Childers says it’s ‘odd’ for him to see the No. 4 being sported by Front Row Motorsports 

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The No. 4 car holds a special place for Rodney Childers, especially because it was the same car that he had led to victory. The car was then driven by Josh Berry under the Stewart Haas Racing team. For the longest time, Childers had been the crew chief for the No.4 car. However, in the recent turn of events, the car will now be spotted by Front Row Motorsports for the 2025 Cup Series by Noah Gragson. 

Speaking of the same, Childers said, “Definitely gonna be extremely odd for me to see the #4 on track this year. But I’m super happy for @NoahGragson and @drewblick .. They will do great things”. 

Noah will be under the careful scrutiny of Drew Blickensderfer, and the partnership is not new. The former Stewart Haas crew chief is well versed with Gragson and he often refers to Blickensderfer as his ‘big brother’ too. Childers’ sentiment highlights the deep connection between a crew chief and a car, making the No. 4’s new chapter with Gragson and Blickensderfer a blend of nostalgia and promise for the 2025 season.