Spire Motorsports and Rodney Childers have parted ways in a surprising development. While the news came as a big surprise to many, the team management acted fast to appoint a new pit crew for Justin Haley and the No. 7 Chevrolet.
Spire Motorsports Wastes No Time Replacing Rodney Childers
Less than a day after the surprising announcement, Spire Motorsports has confirmed Ryan Sparks as Rodney Childers’ replacement. Sparks, who also serves as Director of Competition, will now double up in both roles.
As a follow up to yesterday's news, Ryan Sparks will return to the pit box as crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 7 team for the duration of the 2025 season.
Sparks will once again serve in a dual role as Crew Chief and Director of Competition. https://t.co/czUZg6q0cb
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) April 24, 2025
“As a follow up to yesterday’s news, Ryan Sparks will return to the pit box as crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 7 team for the duration of the 2025 season,” the team announced via a social media post. “Sparks will once again serve in a dual role as Crew Chief and Director of Competition.”
Sparks knows the role well. He came to Spire in 2021 with Corey LaJoie and spent several seasons calling the shots as his crew chief. When Haley replaced LaJoie late in 2024, Sparks remained with the No. 7 team. He’s logged 175 Cup races as a crew chief, with three top fives and nine top tens to his name.
As the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway, Haley holds 23rd place in the current championship standings.
Spire Motorsports Parts Ways with Rodney Childers After 9 Races
Spire Motorsports has cut ties with championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers just nine races into his tenure.
A veteran of the sport, Childers earned his place in NASCAR history by guiding Kevin Harvick to the 2014 Cup title with Stewart-Haas Racing. When the team shut its doors at the end of last season, Childers made the move to Spire to take on crew chief duties for Haley.
The 25-year-old driver is searching for his first Cup Series win since the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Haley delivered his best performance at Homestead-Miami with a P10 finish. In his last outing, he secured a P13 at Bristol.
A statement from Spire Motorsports co-owner, Jeff Dickerson. pic.twitter.com/RjKxDo3pLR
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) April 23, 2025
“NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport and the path to improvement isn’t always comfortable,’’ Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff 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.”