Denny Hamlin sounds off on Rodney Childers joining Spire Motorsports, Corey LaJoie's car

Denny Hamlin believes the addition of Rodney Childers will be a gigantic one for Spire Motorsports, as the crew chief will join the team in 2025, sitting atop Corey LaJoie’s pit box.

Some theorized Childers would follow Josh Berry to the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford, but that didn’t end up being the case. After the move was made official last week, Hamlin gave his thoughts on the decision, via the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast.

“Is it surprising? Not really. I don’t think it’s super surprising,” Hamlin started, regarding whether Spire was a shocking destination for Childers. “Well, you know, I think that, generally speaking, you know, we know Spire is — they’re trying to get better, right? I think the No. 7 car, in general, is stuck in a lull of performance that is not, you know, kind of up to where the No. 77 is at. The No. 71 is getting better, week-in, week-out. It seems like they’re starting to get better than what they were. The No. 7 has just kind of been in the same, kind of P20 to P25, most weeks. While that would have probably been okay three or four years ago, I think that, you know, TJ and Dickerson expect a little bit more than that now, especially with the resources that they’re putting in the team.

“So, I think this is a good move by them to say, ‘Alright,’ this is kind of how it works, right? You get another crew chief, and then you get another crew chief and then eventually it’s like, ‘Okay, we can’t find anything that works with you. So, it’s gotta be you, at some point.’ So I think, you know, they’re putting all their chips on the table, and gonna give Corey and the No. 7 car the best crew chief that they could go out and get. Now, it’s a situation where Corey has to step up and perform better. He would tell you that himself, and this will certainly put the pressure on him to go out there and perform, because we know that Rodney will build him a fast car, and they should be, you know, at least five, six or seven spots, on average, better than what they are, week-in, week-out, right now.”

While LaJoie has been with Spire for a number of seasons, Hamlin believes the move to bring in Childers may be his final chance at convincing the team he’s their longterm answer in the No. 7. They’ve been expecting him to run better in 2024, and LaJoie simply hasn’t been able to put it all together.

Perhaps Rodney Childers will be the glue that gets it done for Corey LaJoie. Denny Hamlin believes the move can work wonders, but it’s up to the driver to get the job done when the rubber meets the road.