Rodney Childers didn’t notice he wanted a chip on his shoulder till it returned this season whereas he was working with Josh Berry on the No. 4 workforce.
“I felt like having Josh within the automotive was all on my shoulders,” Childers mentioned.
It was Childers who advised Stewart-Haas Racing a yr in the past that he needed Berry within the automotive when Kevin Harvick retired. In 10 seasons collectively, Childers and Harvick tore by means of the NASCAR Cup Collection with 37 wins and a championship. The workforce carried the banner at Stewart-Haas.
Childers mentioned it took about 15 seconds for Berry’s identify to come back out of his mouth because the individual he needed as his subsequent driver.
“I wanted that to push me more durable, to show to the world that he might do it,” Childers mentioned. “We’ve had good instances and unhealthy instances, however we’ve had loads of good runs, and Josh is an incredible individual and it’s simply been enjoyable. It type of lit that fireside in me once more.
“I really feel like all people on the workforce has been behind him and pushed actually laborious, and for me, I wanted that. I don’t assume I spotted that final yr. But additionally, we knew during the last two years that Kevin was going to go away, and for me, that was simply crushing. He was all the things to me, and to must undergo that and know each single week, day-after-day after I was driving to the store and it’s like, ‘What am I going to do subsequent? What am I going to do with out him?’”
Though it took time, Childers lastly obtained over it, obtained again to work, and being paired with a youthful driver like Berry additionally helped. Childers described Berry as enthusiastic and youngsters round with the street crew.
“It simply introduced that fireside again, and that’s been enjoyable for me,” Childers mentioned. “Do you need to keep at dwelling and be some type of store man? That’s not me but. I nonetheless get goosebumps after they sing the Nationwide Anthem, and I’ve advised (spouse) Katrina that for a very long time. Till I stop getting goosebumps, I’m going to maintain doing it.”
And that’s what has led Childers to Spire Motorsports.
The group introduced Tuesday that Childers will be part of the fold subsequent season because the crew chief of the No. 7 workforce for Corey LaJoie. It’s a multiyear deal for Childers, who was approached in a short time by Spire Motorsports president Doug Duchardt after the information that Stewart-Haas Racing is dissolving at season’s finish.
Childers appreciated how persistent Spire Motorsports needed to rent him, and that they’d a plan instantly. There have been different conversations with different groups, however not a lot of them materialized into one thing severe.
“I can’t stand not having a plan,” mentioned Childers. “I need to have a plan and good management and have all of that stuff in place. Doug was the primary individual to ship me a contract, and meaning one thing to me. I’ve been round this a very long time; in order for you somebody, inform them that you really want them and put a bit of paper of their hand and make one thing occur. I’m not going to sit down round for six months and see if I find yourself with nothing.”
One other piece was that Childers felt he might keep at Spire Motorsports for a few years – maybe even after his days as a crew chief are over. However that could possibly be a good distance off. Within the meantime, Childers has large objectives for his subsequent workforce.
“It’s simply infinite alternatives there to develop,” he mentioned. “That’s the most important factor for me: I need to see it develop. I need to make one thing out of it. I would like the 7 to be the subsequent 4 automotive, and someone that exhibits up each week and is quick off the observe and is aggressive and is a frontrunner within the storage.”
