Rodney Childers, Spire Motorsports Mutually Part Ways

Nine races into their pairing, Spire Motorsports and legendary crew chief Rodney Childers have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately. Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson issued a statement on the decision made collectively between the team and crew chief to part ways.

"NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport, and the path to improvement isn't always comfortable. The break in the Cup Series schedule gave us a chance to evaluate where we are as a program.  We took the opportunity to discuss the best paths forward for everyone involved, and the team and Rodney agreed that it would be best for us to part ways," Dickerson said. "Rodney has worked at the highest level of our sport for 20 years, and he knows what it takes to win championships. With that in mind, we collectively acknowledged challenges with the team dynamic.  Having the right combination of talent is just as important as the results on track. As we move in a new direction it is not lost on us that Rodney has been an invaluable asset to our organization, as he will continue to be for others in this sport."

Childers, 48, had served as the crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 7 Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team, and through the opening nine races of the campaign, the pairing sat 23rd in the championship standings.

With Childers on the box, the 25-year-old Haley recorded a best finish of 10th, which he achieved at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and he had registered three top-15 finishes over his last five starts.

Childers, who amassed 40 career wins as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, three with Michael Waltrip Racing and 37 with Stewart-Haas Racing, won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Kevin Harvick as his driver.

In addition to his 37 wins as the crew chief for Harvick, Childers paired with David Reutimann for two race wins, and had an additional win with Brian Vickers.

After Stewart-Haas Racing decided to close its doors at the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Childers signed with Spire Motorsports last July, initially to be the crew chief for Corey LaJoie during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

A couple of weeks after the announcement of Childers moving to the team, Spire Motorsports announced that LaJoie would actually not return to the team in 2025. Heading into the Night Race at Bristol last Fall, Spire Motorsports conducted a driver trade with Rick Ware Racing, which brought Haley, who has the lone NASCAR Cup Series win for Spire, back to the organization.

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