"Hopefully I do that justice": Rodney Childers on his upcoming assignment with Justin Haley at Spire Motorsports

Justin Haley's future crew chief Rodney Childers has opened up about staying at par with the expectations in his upcoming role. Childers will join Spire Motorsports garage in 2025 and serve as a crew chief for the 25-year-old.

In a rare turnaround of events, Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing announced on Friday (September 20) that they will swap Corey LaJoie and Haley for the remainder of the 2024 Cup Series season. LaJoie will field RWR's #51 Ford and Haley will be behind the wheel of the #7 Spire Chevy, starting at the Kansas Speedway.

In May 2024, Stewart-Haas Racing reported shutting down its operations after the current season. As a result, a massive shake-up in the crew was witnessed, with many yet to secure a job. Rodney Childers is the crew chief of Josh Berry, who will move to Wood Brothers Racing in 2025. The former has inked a deal with Spire and will call the shots from the pit box next year.

After wrapping this season, Justin Haley will run a full-time schedule with Spire, the team with which he debuted in the Cup Series and won his first race at the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway.

Amid the upcoming crew chief assignment with Haley, Childers highlighted the team's belief in the former's ability to perform. He said (via Sportsnaut):

"All I know is all the good things people say about him (Justin), and just what I’ve seen from being around him in the garage. It’s just clear to me that he’s a good person with good values and at this point in my career, that’s really important to me."

“There are a lot of people in this garage that believe in his ability and hopefully I do that justice. And really, at this point in my career, it’s going to be fun for me to go over there because I think it will rejuvenate me. I need to be in an environment that will challenge me like I think this one will," the 2014 Cup Series championship-winning crew chief added.

While Justin Haley's future with Spire is confirmed, Corey LaJoie's NASCAR prospects are still hanging by a thread.

"Monday’s a new page for me" - Justin Haley on returning to Spire Motorsports

Haley's Cup Series debut came at the 2019 Talladega race for Spire Motorsports. At that time, he ran a part-time schedule as he was under a full-time Xfinity Series job for Kaulig Racing.

Before striking a multi-year deal with Kaulig Racing for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Justin Haley competed in all Cup races but five in 2021 for Spire. After wrapping his final race for Kaulig at Phoenix Raceway, he moved to Rick Ware Racing for the 2024 season and beyond.

However, the mid-season arrangement between RWR and Spire has rekindled Haley with his race-winning team. After Friday's announcement about the Indiana native's return to Jeff Dickerson's organization, the former went down memory lane.

“Monday’s a new page for me, kind of back to where I started my first Cup Series career races and spent a lot of time there while I was racing Xfinity, doing both. So yeah, when Jeff Dickerson called me with this opportunity, presented it, I knew it was something that gave me a little bit more long-term stability and a good path for the future,” Haley said (via NASCAR).

Justin Haley is 32nd in the Cup Series standings, with two top-10s under his belt.