Spire Motorsports and Rodney Childers have mutually agreed to part ways.
Childers was crew chief of the No. 7 Chevrolet with Justin Haley. The duo worked together for the first nine races of the NASCAR Cup Series season and earned one top-10 finish, a 10th-place, at Homestead Miami Speedway. Haley is 23rd in the championship standings.
“I know this is a shock. But (I) also know that not everything works out perfect all the time. That’s how life works,” Childers said in a statement rele ased via social media. “This was just one of those things that just wasn’t working for either of us. I appreciate my time at Spire, working with (Justin 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.
“Also want to say thank you to everyone at Chevrolet, (Rick Hendrick) and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for my time working with them again. It was a pleasure. Thank you to NASCAR, the officials, and most importantly the fans for your support. For me, I’m going to take a little time. Focus on the important things like my family and friends. And honestly just see what the racing world holds for me next. I know the man above will lead me in a direction that is best for me.”
“NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport and the path to improvement isn’t always comfortable,” Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said in a separate 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.