Are ECR Engines any good compared to the Hendrick Motorsports shop Chevy engines? Well, take a look at the performances of the Cup Series teams that are under the RCR umbrella, and you will find the answer to this question. Trackhouse Racing, Kaulig Racing, and RCR themselves haven’t been able to find the speed and performance that could counter their rivals on the racetrack. All these teams are without a win so far in 2025. And to make matters worse, an ECR engine on the No. 15 Chevy of AJ Allmendinger blew up at Kansas.

Well, Allmendiger was fuming on the team radio and straight up called out the ECR engine team after suffering a second consecutive DNF. “Hey ECR, you guys f—— suck.” This was a tough blow for the Kaulig Racing driver as he was 15th in the points standings before the engine incident, but two DNFs saw him drop down to 25th. This could’ve been the reason for his frustration on the radio, but veteran team owner Richard Childress didn’t appreciate how Allmendinger reacted.

Speaking to NBC Sports ahead of the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro, Childress stated, “The 12 (Ryan Blaney) blew up two times. The 48 (Alex Bowman) blew up (one time). They never said anything. It’s how you want to run your mouth, I want to know what happened to the engine. When (Allmendinger) jumps out (of the car at Kansas), he don’t even know if the belt come off the oil pump or what.”

The way he brushed off Allmendinger’s frustration, comparing it to other drivers’ silence, rubbed fans the wrong way. It wasn’t just the words; it was the tone, the implication that Allmendinger was out of line for speaking his mind. And let’s be real, in a sport where every second counts, an engine failure after six laps is a big deal, not something to shrug off.  It’s not just about this one incident; it’s about a pattern.

RCR’s 2025 season has been a disappointment. Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, has yet to secure a win and often finishes outside the top 10. Austin Dillon, another RCR driver, has also struggled, failing to secure a win this season. These results starkly contrast with Childress’s bravado, leading fans to question if he’s living in the past rather than facing the present.

NASCAR fans believe ECR engines are past their prime

Childress’s comments didn’t just land poorly; they landed like a lead balloon. The fan reaction to Childress’s comments is a mix of frustration and disillusionment, a sentiment that’s been brewing for years but has now boiled over. On Reddit, one fan pointed out, “The last driver to win a Cup title with ECR engines was Dale Earnhardt in 1994. HMS engines are the ones winning races and titles for Chevy, even if ECR has good years. There is some truth to what AJ said, whether Richard can believe it or not.” Well, the revamp bringing in Kyle Busch hasn’t worked out for them, and even Rowdy hasn’t minced his words while complaining about the RCR car. So the fans feel they need to do some soul searching, rather than intimidating a driver.

Another user was blunt, “He’s mad because AJ was right, they do suck. Every other non-Hendrick-related Chevy has been lacking in raw speed since 2023.” Take Ross Chastain, for example, who also runs an ECR engine on his No. 1 Chevy, has hit a slump. From winning multiple races in 2022 and 2023, he is now searching for his first win since last year’s Kansas fall race. To make matters worse, he didn’t even make it to the playoffs last year. Both Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon from RCR suffered similar fates.

The criticism didn’t stop there. “They are sh– engines built by a sh– team. If RCR was contending every week it’d be a different story. I don’t know why Childress thinks his engines are bulletproof cause clearly they aren’t,” one fan posted, capturing the essence of the backlash. If anything, the JGR car has been on the wrong end of the stick when it comes to engine mishaps. Denny Hamlin blew his engine at Sonoma last year and again this year at Texas. The only difference is that despite the troubles, the No. 11 car is competitive and has already snagged two wins this year.

Some even went on to say that the best for the ECR engine car to win this year is going to be Shane van Gisbergen in the road course race. “To be fair all the ECR teams suck. Their best shot is SVG or AJ on a road course, or Ross to get it done somewhere.” Now that is a fall off for a legacy engine builder and a race team. Childress shouldn’t be making comparisons to Penske Fords or HMS Chevys, because they are in a different league, battling for wins and titles, while RCR has become a mid-pack team.

What are your thoughts about Richard Childress’ comments, and will we see a resurgence or comeback from ECR engine Chevy cars this year?