“Extremely odd for me”: Spire's Rodney Childers reacts to Front Row Motorsports’ new car number for 2025 NASCAR season

Rodney Childers recently reacted to the announcement about Front Row Motorsports fielding the No. 4 Ford as the new car entry in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The Cup Series-winning crew chief previously led the No. 4 car driven by Josh Berry under the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing.

After a storied career with the No. 4 Ford car of SHR in the Cup Series, Childers joined Spire Motorsports to call the shots from the pit box for the No. 7 Chevrolet, set to be driven by Justin Haley in the upcoming season. However, watching the No. 4 car under a different banner running the field wasn't in the books for the veteran crew chief.

In a recent post on X, Childers wrote:

"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."

The new FRM entry will be driven by former SHR driver Noah Gragson, who is set to reunite with his former SHR crew chief on the Ford roster.

On the other hand, Rodney Childers, who previously was the crew chief of Josh Berry, will pair up with a 25-year-old Winamac, Indiana native.

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Rodney Childers opens up on his pairing with Justin Haley at Spire Motorsports

Rodney Childers during practice for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. - Source: Imagn

Back in September 2024, the 2014 champion crew chief shared his thoughts on joining the Chevrolet roster with the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team. Speaking with renowned journalist Matt Weaver, Rodney Childers talked about driver Justin Haley and said:

"All I know is all the good things people say about him (Justin), and just what I’ve seen from being around him in the garage. It’s just clear to me that he’s a good person with good values and at this point in my career, that’s really important to me."

Furthermore, Childers added:

"There are a lot of people in this garage that believe in his ability and hopefully I do that justice. And really, at this point in my career, it’s going to be fun for me to go over there because I think it will rejuvenate me. I need to be in an environment that will challenge me like I think this one will." [via Sportsnaut.com]

Last season Justin Haley competed for Rick Ware Racing for the better part of the season before making an unconventional switch with former Spire driver Corey LaJoie. As the season ended, Spire announced Haley as their new full-time driver in the No. 7 entry. He will drive alongside Carson Hocevar and veteran driver Michael McDowell in the 2025 Cup Series season.