NASCAR Championship-Winning Crew Chief OUT at New Team

What’s Happening?

Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Rodney Childers is parting ways with Spire Motorsports. Childers joined Spire this year; he leaves the team just nine races into the season.

• Childers is out at Spire effective immediately. This move is shocking, as his signing was hands-down one of the most important non-driver signings for any NASCAR team this past silly season.
• This is a developing story; there is no confirmation from the team or Childers. Should Childers leave Spire, he is the second non-pit crew member of the No. 7 team to depart in April, as former Car Chief Robert “Cheddar” Smith recently left the team for Joe Gibbs Racing.
• Childers, the long-time Crew Chief for Kevin Harvick at the late Stewart-Haas Racing, joined Spire while he was still with SHR last season. In a whirlwind of moves, the team signed Childers before even having a driver, with the signing happening in July while Corey LaJoie was still driving the No. 7.
• Shortly after, Spire announced that LaJoie would be out of the car for 2025. The team swapped LaJoie for the car’s current driver, Justin Haley, at Bristol on Sept. 20. This past season saw a major shakeup at Spire, in which the team rotated out two drivers and Crew Chiefs for new ones.
• At the time, signing Childers seemed like a bold new direction for Spire, which had hopes of a competitive season ahead. However, the No. 7 currently has just one top-10 finish but a better average finish than last season.

Update: 1:19 PM EST: Spire Motorsports has confirmed the departure of Childers.

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