“I don’t know how many more of these deals we have to do before people know we’re for real.” These words by Ryan Sparks, the competition director at Spire Motorsports, demonstrate the war footing that his team is on. Since the beginning of April, the No. 7 Chevy team has replaced its car chief and four crew members, the front and rear tire changers, the jackman, and the tire carrier. Now the same fate visited the crew chief, and Justin Haley is perfectly fine with it.
Rodney Childers is a championship-winning veteran crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series. He led Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick to the 2014 championship, besides accruing 40 Cup victories across his career. Despite this glittering resume, Childers and his Spire driver could not hit it off.
Justin Haley is looking ahead with no regrets
Last year, Justin Haley was in a state of turmoil. He took over the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet in the middle of the 2024 season, replacing Corey LaJoie. This year as well, that feeling of instability still lingers. Doug Powers replaced car chief Robert ‘Cheddar’ Smith, and Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team swapped four crucial pit crew members. This trend of shuffling things is nothing new in Spire, which was a fledgling team back in 2019. Since then, buying Kyle Busch’s Craftsman Truck series property, purchasing new charters, and expanding into a three-car operation were all part of the team’s plans. The latest shuffle happened with a shock twist, as Haley’s star-studded crew chief parted ways with the team.
Rodney Childers and Spire Motorsports mutually agreed to end things earlier this week. So far in the 2025 season, Justin Haley and Childers had an average finish of 20.2 and were 23rd in the championship standings. They earned one top-10 finish together. Despite this overall good teamwork, Haley said he is not so remorseful about team co-owner Jeff Dickerson’s decision. He said so in a Talladega Superspeedway press conference. “I’m super proud and thankful to be with a race team and an owner like Jeff Dickerson, who is not scared to make changes for the better. It was just a fit thing, I think…nothing super wrong that stood out or super left or right.”
Justin Haley further reflected on Spire Motorsports’ tendency to switch up things. “At the end of the day, we’re in the Cup Series, and to compete on a Sunday in the Cup Series, everything has to be perfect, and if one little thing is not perfect, you’re not going to be able to win races. That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what Spire is trying to do. They have put so much time and resources, effort, money, ability, and people in the right places to try to win races. I think they’re not scared to do anything to win a race. Again, I’m thankful to be in that position.”
Yet Justin Haley also acknowledged the little time that he could work with Rodney Childers. “I’m thankful for my time with Rodney. I think he taught us a lot as an organization. He’s a super-great person. I really enjoyed getting to know him and work with him.” But the No. 7 driver ultimately emphasized what was more important: “At the end of the day, it’s a business and just trying to be successful on Sundays.”
Indeed, the business of Spire Motorsports is being handled by a fresh face around the block. Justin Haley has known him for a long time and trusts his process.
Taking a bold decision
Ryan Sparks, who became the competition director of Spire Motorsports over the off-season, has known Justin Haley for a long time. Back in 2019, Haley drove a limited schedule 2019 in the No. 77 car in his first stint at Spire. Sparks was the crew chief on the No. 7. Then, in 2024, both ran the final seven races of the season together when Haley rejoined the organization from Rick Ware Racing. Now, Sparks returns as Haley’s crew chief after ejecting Rodney Childers. Given that they let go of the winningest crew chief in the Cup Series, clearly, the social dynamic was a problem. Haley and Sparks admittedly have a stronger bond, as the No. 7 driver recently confessed.
Ryan Sparks apparently helped Justin Haley open up more. “He’s just fun and bubbly,” Haley said. “He pushes me to be better, and we had good communication at the end of the season. It was fun yesterday being in the garage and hauler with him and cutting it up. At least I have something I know to expect.” Sparks is equally determined to conjure magic on racing weekends from now on. “There’s one goal, and that’s to put it in the show, so we don’t take it lightly. There’s been a lot of movement at Spire and a lot of effort to make these cars faster. I think we’ve seen that a lot on Saturdays (in qualifying), but not carried over to Sundays as much as we would like. So, I’m gonna bring the vibe and we’re going to make it happen.”
Evidently, Justin Haley and his team are confident in the bold decision. Now, only time will tell how they will fare after letting go of a stellar crew chief. So let’s wish them the very best!
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