The pairing between Spire Motorsports and crew chief Rodney Childers lasted all of nine races, as the team and legendary crew chief mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday. Childers moved to the Spire Motorsports team at the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season after spending 11 seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said the team and Childers had the off-weekend to evaluate where the team was, and coming out of that break, both sides mutually made the decision 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 had been the crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 7 Spire Motorsports team this season, and together, they recorded one top-10 finish, which came at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and ranked 23rd in the championship point standings heading into this weekend’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Following the news being officially confirmed by Spire Motorsports, Childers issued a statement of his own via his account on X.
“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 [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.
“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.”
In 685 starts as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, Childers has accumulated 40 victories. He also captured the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team.
37 of Childers’ 40 career wins came with the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing team, while he also snatched three wins in his time at Michael Waltrip Racing prior to his move to SHR.
When Spire Motorsports announced last July that Childers would join the organization in 2025, the crew chief was originally slated to be paired with Corey LaJoie. However, a couple of weeks later, Spire Motorsports announced that LaJoie would not return to the organization in 2025.
Late in the season, Spire Motorsports initiated a driver trade with Rick Ware Racing, which sent Justin Haley to drive the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet over the final seven races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
A few weeks prior to Childers’ departure from the Spire Motorsports team, Robert “Cheddar” Smith, a car chief who had been partnered with Childers for years, departed Spire Motorsports to pursue the same role with the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team.
One Response
Rodney Childers is not the problem.