In a surprising move, Spire Motorsports has released championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers after only nine races with the team. Childers, who joined Spire at the beginning of the 2025 season to crew chief Justin Haley, is one of the most successful active crew chiefs in the Cup Series, having won the 2014 championship with Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing.
The decision to part ways with Childers came after NASCAR’s only off weekend of the season, with the team announcing that Ryan Sparks, competition director and former crew chief, will take over as Haley’s crew chief for the remainder of the season.
Through the first nine races, Haley currently sits 23rd in the Cup standings, with his best finish being a 10th-place result at Homestead. Despite a strong showing at Bristol, where he scored a season-high 13 stage points and finished 13th, the team felt it was necessary to make a change.
Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson addressed the situation in a statement, saying, “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 acknowledged Childers’ invaluable contributions to the organization, stating, “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, who is tied for second among active crew chiefs with 40 Cup wins, addressed his departure on social media, writing, “I know this is a shock. But also know that not everything works out perfect all the time. 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 JH 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.”
The crew chief indicated that he would take some time off to focus on his family and assess his future options in the racing world.
