Rodney Childers and Spire Motorsports have parted ways after only nine races this season.
The Athletic first reported the news on Wednesday afternoon. Spire Motorsports then issued a statement confirming that Childers is no longer with the organization. The team said it will announce roster moves for the No. 7 team soon.
"NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport, and the path to improvement isn't always comfortable," co-owner Jeff Dickerson said in a statement shared with media members. "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."
— Rodney Childers (@RodneyChilders4) April 23, 2025
Childers joined Spire Motorsports this offseason after 11 seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing, which featured 37 trips to victory lane and a Cup Series championship in 10 seasons as the crew chief for Kevin Harvick. He spent the 11th year guiding rookie Josh Berry.
He took over the No. 7 team and began working with Justin Haley. At the time, Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said that the team doing anything but its absolute best to bring Childers into the fold would be "malpractice."
Childers, for comparison, told media members that he had joined the Chevrolet-affiliated team for multiple reasons. One of the biggest was the opportunity to lean on championship-winning crew chiefs such as Cliff Daniels and Alan Gustafson.
The partnership between Haley and Childers started slowly. The No. 7 team ran inside the top 30 in the first nine races, but it only secured one top-10 finish (Homestead-Miami Speedway).
However, the race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway was the team's best performance. Haley scored 13 stage points while racing inside the top 10, and he ultimately crossed the line in 13th place.
With Childers and Spire Motorsports parting ways, the team will now have to find a different crew chief for Haley and the No. 7 team. Multiple options exist at the Mooresville facility.
Ryan Sparks, who previously served as the No. 7 team's crew chief, is now the Competition Director at Spire Motorsports. Matt McCall, a veteran crew chief with previous stops at RFK Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing, is the Director of Vehicle Performance.