Kevin Harvick Reacts To Rodney Childer's Shock Spire Motorsports Exit

Newsweek

02-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has shared his surprise at the unexpected exit of Rodney Childers from Spire Motorsports.
Childers, who had only worked with Justin Haley's No. 7 team for nine races, left Spire Motorsports at the end of last month.
Harvick and Childers partnered at Stewart-Haas Racing, and the duo collected 37 victories together during a decade-long partnership.
Speaking on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast, the former driver commented:
"That one kind of caught me off guard.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Ford, and his crew chief, Rodney Childers walk on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on...
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Ford, and his crew chief, Rodney Childers walk on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. More"I think, as you look at the statements and things that everybody shared throughout the process, it seemed like it was a mutual agreement that it wasn't working. So, it'll be interesting to see how everybody moves on."
He added: "I think that, you know, the No. 7 ran — didn't run great again this weekend. I think, as you look at Rodney and his credentials, hopefully he winds up somewhere where he'll make a difference, because I think he can. He's got the credibility, and the history of results that go with it."
The news broke in late April, when Spire Motorsports confirmed they were parting ways with the crew chief.
A statement from Spire Motorsports co-owner, Jeff Dickerson. pic.twitter.com/RjKxDo3pLR — Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) April 23, 2025
Childers has since spoken out about the exit. He explained during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:
"Going into it, I was super excited about going there," he commented.
"They had treated me really well. Our announcement last year [of his hiring] was big, and there was a lot of excitement around it. We had a great off-season. I felt like we had so much fun in the offseason... our equipment looked nice, we had a ton of really good guys come into the building, we were making, what I thought, was gains on the cars and just making them look better and nicer and lighter and all those things.
"Really, everything was going fine. You could kind of tell after we got racing a little bit that maybe it wasn't going the way that we all wanted, and a lot of times that's performance-based or that can be how things are going at the shop or how things are going at the racetrack, and what's the communication like, and just the chemistry of all of it. It's not one person, it's not two people, it's 200 people, and just figuring that out as we went.
"I think it finally came to a point where they could kind of tell I wasn't happy, and I could tell that maybe they weren't happy.
"It just kind of started falling apart a little bit, and I could sense it a little bit maybe a couple of weeks before that. It started getting quiet around there, and anytime it gets quiet, you start wondering.
"Overall, it was just one of those things that just wasn't working, and they're the type of team that is willing to pull the trigger, and a lot of teams don't. They're willing to take that chance... It doesn't bother me as badly as I thought it was going to because I didn't really feel it was working either. It just fell apart.
"Like I said, they were super good to me while I was there, they're good people, they have a good race team, it was fun to be in the shop with the truck guys, and I'm going to miss a lot of those guys over there. But overall, it's time to think about things and move on."