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NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace reacted to Rodney Childers' unexpected exit from Spire Motorsports mid-season. The team signed Childers last year on a multi-year contract, but they split ways rather early this season.
Childers is one of the most experienced crew chiefs in NASCAR. With 20 years of racing under his belt, his expertise has helped drivers clinch victories. His time at Stewart-Haas Racing with Kevin Harvick saw him win his 2014 Cup Series championship, and he continued with the team until they decided to close operations at the end of the 2024 season. Spire Motorsports was then quick to sign Childers with their Corey LaJoie-driven #7 in July last year. Justin Haley later replaced the driver.
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Although the team saw a considerable improvement in performance, with Haley also marking a P10 finish in Homestead-Miami, they recently decided to split ways with Rodney Childers. This unexpected decision came just days before the Cup Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway, the season's 10th race this year.
"I know this is a shock. But also know that not everything works out perfectly all the time," Childers wrote in a statement. "That's how life works. This was just one of those things that just wasn't working for either of us. I appreciate my time at Spire, working with JG 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."
Reacting to Childers' statement, veteran NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace shared words of encouragement on X.
"All good @RodneyChilders4💯. Your next chapter will be awesome 🏁," he wrote.
NASCAR influencer comments on Spire Motorsports parting ways with Rodney Childers
It is apparent that Rodney Childers hasn't been making large differences on the field in the new era since NASCAR moved to the Next Gen car. However, the experience that the 48-year-old holds is an important asset for any team. This helps the crew to develop in a certain way, which could prove to be invaluable.
NASCAR influencer Eric Estepp discussed the same on his YouTube channel as he discussed Childers' exit from the team. Laying out the latter's achievements in the sport, Estepp mentioned how he hasn't been making a large difference in team performance as he used to back in the day.
"From 2014 to 2020[...]Rodney Childers went to five championship fours," he said (02:40 onwards). "That's an incredible rate. Won 35 races with Kevin Harvick. That's an average of five wins per season. For seven years, Rodney Childers looked damn near unstoppable. But since 2020, Rodney has all of two Cup Series wins, is averaging half a win per season. He's not making the same difference he used to."
"I don't think Rodney Childers is as valuable now as he used to be. I think it's fair to say, but he's still an important asset to any team. You don't forget that championship experience. I mean, just look at what he's done with Spy Motorsports in a short period of time," he added.
Spire Motorsports' #7 was in a difficult position in the 2024 season. They finished the year in 32nd place in owner's points, however, with Justin Haley behind the wheel and Childers backing him so far. The team is yet to announce a replacement.
