Denny Hamlin insider approves of Rodney Childers’ next potential destination in NASCAR

Denny Hamlin’s spotter, Chris Lambert, has approved the possible destination for Rodney Childers. Childers recently left his role as the crew chief for Justin Haley after just nine races in the 2025 season.

Lambert has been the spotter for Denny Hamlin’s 11 for much of their partnership in the Cup Series. He has been instrumental in the team’s on-track communication and strategy. Lambert is known for his ability to provide real-time information about track position and traffic. In the 2025 season, Hamlin has already secured back-to-back wins at Martinsville Speedway and Darlington Raceway. Both wins came in situations that required navigation through late race cautions and pit strategy.

Lambert replied to a post on X, stating the possible destination for the former Stewart-Haas Racing and Spire Motorsports crew chief. He said NASCAR and manufacturers should get Childers in to create the new Gen 8 car. The user posted:

"Should NASCAR take this opportunity to hire Rodney Childers and let him be the primary designer of the Gen 8 car?"

Denny Hamlin’s spotter replied with support, stating that Childers' mind could provide great ideas for the new generation of NASCAR Cup Series racing. He penned:

"He’d be a great racing mind to definitely get ideas from and ask his opinion."

Denny Hamlin is one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers, competing for Joe Gibbs Racing since his Cup Series debut in 2005. Denny Hamlin has secured 56 victories from 695 Cup Series starts. His wins place him 11th on the all-time list for victories (just behind Rusty Wallace). His major victories consist of winning three Daytona 500s (2016, 2019, and 2020), the Coca-Cola 600 (2022), and three Southern 500s (2010, 2017, and 2021). Along with his notable wins, Hamlin holds the record for most wins at Pocono Raceway with 7 and Kansas Speedway with 4.

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Denny Hamlin’s JGR ally gives his take on major Talladega revamp

Chris Lambert publicly supported NASCAR’s decision to revamp Talladega Superspeedway’s inside wall at the exit of Turn 2 following Christopher Bell’s severe crash during last Sunday’s race. Bell’s No. 20 Toyota suffered significant front-end damage after slamming into the wall, resulting in a 35th-place finish and his second DNF of the season. Lambert posted:

“Great news, but it should’ve been fixed after @J_Allgaier pounded it in exact same spot LAST year.”

Lambert noted on social media that this safety upgrade was overdue, referencing a similar crash by Justin Allgaier at the same spot during last year’s Xfinity Series playoff race, and expressed relief that the improvements will be in place before the October playoff event.

The incident occurred after Bell received a push from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, during a restart late in Stage 1. As the season progresses, Hamlin sits third in the Cup Series standings with two wins, five top-fives, and six top-10s in the first ten races, while Bell is fifth, trailing Hamlin by 30 points.