Rodney Childers, Spire Motorsports Mutually Part Ways

Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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."

The statement from Dickerson confirmed an initial report of the news from The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi, which cited anonymous sources briefed on the situation. Spire Motorsports has not revealed who will take over in Childers' place.

After the news broke, Childers issued a statement of his own to X, where he detailed that the partnership between he and Spire Motorsports simply didn't work out for either party, and that he's going to take some time before lining up a future position.

"I know this is a shock. But also know that not everything works out perfect all the time," Childers said in the statement shared to X. "That's how life works. This was just one of those things that just wasn't working for either of us. I appreciate my time at Spire, working with [Justin Haley] and the entire 7 team. We did a lot of good that is yet to be seen, and I wish them the best in the future."

Childers continued, "Also want to say thank you to everyone at Chevrolet, [Rick Hendrick] and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for my time working with them again. It was a pleasure. Thank you to NASCAR, the officials, and most importantly the fans for your support.

"For me, I'm going to take a little time. Focus on the important things like my family and friends. And honestly just see what the racing world holds for me next. I know the man above will lead me in a direction that is best for me."

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.

The departure of Childers as crew chief is the latest of several changes within the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team recently.

On April 2, Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed that it had acquired Robert "Cheddar" Smith as the new car chief for driver Ty Gibbs and its No. 54 team. Smith had been serving in the same capacity under Childers within the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team prior to the change.

Days later, the No. 7 Spire Motorsports pit crew, which is supplied by Hendrick Motorsports, was swapped to Kyle Larson's No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team. Haley and the No. 7 team received the former No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports pit crew.

After finishes of 24th at Darlington Raceway, and 13th at Bristol Motor Speedway, Childers is the latest shakeup to the No. 7 team.

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.