Spire Motorsports NASCAR Cup driver Justin Haley returned from NASCAR’s off-weekend last week ready for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
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But just a few hours after reporting back to work, Haley was shocked to learn that Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson had released Haley’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, from the team.
The move was odd, but also not completely surprising, either.
The odd part of it was that Childers, who joined Spire after Stewart-Haas Racing imploded at the end of last season, had just nine races in his now former role.
Having led Kevin Harvick to the 2014 Cup championship, Childers is tied for second in wins among active crew chiefs with Adam Stevens (each with 40 Cup wins). Paul Wolfe ranks first with 42 series wins.
You would have thought Childers would be given more time to jell with Haley, but Dickerson apparently felt otherwise.
Then there’s the not-so-surprising bit of the equation: Haley comes into Sunday’s race with zero wins, zero top-five and just one top-10 finish (Homestead), and a dismal 23rd in the NASCAR Cup standings.
Haley said he had no involvement in Childers’ firing.
“We had our normal Tuesday, 8 am meeting with the No. 7 team to see how we’d come here (Talladega) and try to win the race,” Haley said during media availability Saturday morning at the racetrack. “Then, after my meetings, I was notified (that Childers was let go).
“Yeah, it was unexpected, but to be honest with you, I don’t think anything in this sport surprises me anymore, so you have to deal with adversity and change.”
Haley, who turns 26 on Monday, is back for his second Cup stint with Spire. But unlike his previous go-round with the organization several years ago, the Spire team now is more focused and expects stronger performances than what it got in the past.
“Obviously, it’s an unexpected change and not something you ever want to do in the middle of a season, but super proud to be with a race team and owner like Jeff Dickerson that’s not scared to make changes for maybe the better,” Haley said. “It was a fit thing, I think Jeff said in his interview with The Athletic, nothing super wrong that stood out.
“At the end of the day, we’re in the Cup Series to compete, and on a Sunday in the Cup Series, everything has to be right. If one little thing isn’t right, you’re not going to win races.
“That’s what Spire (Motorsports) is trying to do. They’ve been putting so much time, effort and resources, money, ability, put people in the right places to try to win races. I don’t think they’re scared to do anything to win a race.”
Childers’ sacking is the second big surprise from the Spire camp in the last six months. Veteran driver Corey LaJoie, who had been a stalwart at Spire for the last several seasons and was expected to return for 2025, was instead let go at the end of the 2024 campaign (finishing a career-worst 33rd in the final standings didn’t help).
In an ironic twist, Haley came to Spire Motorsports for the 30th week of last season from Rick Ware Racing, for whom LaJoie is now racing in 2025.
Ryan Sparks, Spire’s competition director and LaJoie’s former crew chief, will be Justin Haley’s interim crew chief for the rest of this season.
Jeff Dickerson’s Statement On Childers’ Firing
“NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport and the path to improvement isn’t always comfortable,” Dickerson said in a statement. “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.
“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,” elaborated Dickerson.
Childers took to X earlier this week to address his abrupt departure from Spire, which read in part:
“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 (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.”
