Justin Haley shatters doubts about $110M-worth Kevin Harvick’s former Stewart-Haas Racing confidant after Miami outcome

Modified Mar 26, 2025 03:43 GMT

NASCAR: Truck Series - Qualifying - Source: Imagn — Justin Haley gave a clear take on his crew chief's skills - Qualifying - Source: Imagn

NASCAR Cup Series driver Justin Haley of Spire Motorsports was recently featured during the media day availability ahead of the Cook Out 400. Haley dispelled all doubts about his and former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick's crew chief Rodney Childers after his Homestead-Miami run.

Childers remained with Tony Stewart's team, Stewart-Haas Racing, from 2013 to 2024. The crew chief played a crucial role in helping $110 million worth Harvick (via Celebrity Net Worth) secure the Cup Series championship in 2014. However, the team ceased operations after concluding the 2024 season, and Childers joined Spire Motorsports as the crew chief for the #7 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driven by Haley.

During the pre-race interview, the Spire Motorsports driver expressed his confidence in his crew chief. In the last race, Justin Haley experienced a slow start, qualifying in P21, but made his way into the top ten drivers, finishing in tenth place on Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Reflecting on Childers' skills, Haley highlighted his faith in the former and made a bold statement ahead of the Cook Out 400:

"Martinsville has been a struggle for me in a Cup car, but I'm confident Rodney and the No. 7 team will bring a great car this weekend. We have some momentum from the past few weeks and should have a good qualifying draw and that makes a huge difference at Martinsville." (via Speedwaydigest.com)

The Cook Out 400 is scheduled for the upcoming weekend on Sunday, March 30, at Martinsville Speedway. The race will begin at 3:00 PM ET, and fans can catch it on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM.

“He’s gonna be like, ‘Holy cr*p!’”: Rodney Childers on making Justin Haley's ride comfortable

After signing a deal with Spire Motorsports and becoming Justin Haley's crew chief, Rodney Childers began preparing Haley's ride for the 2025 season. Childers paid special attention to the seating position to enhance comfort.

Speaking to journalist Kelly Crandall, Rodney Childers claimed Haley never had a comfortable seat in his career and the last year's seat negatively impacted his core and spine, causing tailbone pain. However, the former SHR crew chief had different plans and recalibrated the seating positions for Justin Haley.

In an interview with Crandall, Rodney Childers stated:

“We've had to have his seats redone at Hendrick; we've had to have his belts moved. We've had to make all-new seat rails, new headrests, new headrest supports, new seat mounts, new leg boards, new floorboards, new pedal faces, new steering column mounts. We have redone everything to make it absolutely perfect for him, and I think when he gets in there at the Clash, he's gonna be like, ‘Holy cr*p!’ I've never had anything like this before, and that's the first step, right?” [00:50 onwards]

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Justin Haley currently ranks 24th in the driver's points table with 105 points. He has one top-ten finish in six starts this season.

About the author

Karan Yadav is an enthusiastic sports journalist with a sharp focus on accuracy and storytelling in motorsports. With a background in BCA studies and around five months of experience at Essentially Sports, he has built a solid foundation in sports coverage at Sportskeeda, combining his passion for racing with a commitment to detailed reporting. Karan follows top NASCAR drivers like Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney, admiring their unique racing styles. When he’s not writing, he enjoys gaming and diving into the latest motorsports news and analysis.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee