Rodney Childers reminisces devastating loss to Jimmie Johnson at Auto Club Speedway in 2016 

Rodney Childers recently reminisced about the time his team were in contention to win the 2016 Auto Club Speedway race. Jimmie Johnson overtook Kevin Harvick in overtime to win the race, and this further helped to position him as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR.

Childers looked back at the most painful defeat of his team at the Auto Club Speedway race versus Johnson. Childers remembered that their car was leading most of the race until a late-race caution altered the situation.

Unluckily, by the time the race resumed in the final laps, their vehicle was too narrow to use during the short run to protect the lead and cost them the title. The rough treatment in those final decisive laps made it impossible to keep up the charge of Johnson, and the defeat particularly galled Childers and the team.

Rodney Childers tweeted:

"Gosh this one hurt… we had everyone destroyed and got a late caution. And our car was just too tight for a 3 or 4 lap run."

Jimmie Johnson was a consistent driver who had 233 top-five and 375 top-10 finishes in 700 starts plus 36 pole positions, which is elite performance under all types of tracks and in all manner of race conditions. He has made history in the number of wins on several historic tracks, which include Dover (11 wins), Martinsville (9 wins), Charlotte (8 wins) and Texas (7 wins). His sixth position on the all-time list is a result of his 18,941 laps, which led to his mastery of long-distance races.

---

Rodney Childers makes an emotional admission about being on the sidelines

Rodney Childers, one of NASCAR’s most successful and respected crew chiefs, recently made an emotional admission about his current status after parting ways with Spire Motorsports. Despite the setback, Childers remains deeply committed to continuing his career as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series.

He expressed a strong desire to surpass major milestones, including reaching 700 races and achieving 50 career wins, goals he believes are crucial for his legacy and potential Hall of Fame induction. Childers emphasized that he wants to be with a competitive team and a skilled driver capable of winning races to realize these ambitions. Childers tweeted:

"I miss competing, yes every single day. I miss being a leader like I was good at. I know I can still do it better than most, and I’m more determined now than ever. But if no one is willing to take a chance in the cup garage, I’ll win in whatever I do… He has a plan."

Rodney Childers described his departure from Spire Motorsports as a mutual decision caused by a lack of chemistry and performance fit.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Edited by Luke Koshi