Justin Haley was not involved in ‘unexpected’ crew chief exit

Justin Haley is likely just looking for a little bit of stability in the 2025 NASCAR Cup season after losing four crew members, his car chief and now his crew chief since the beginning of April. 

Car Chief Robert “Cheddar” Smith left at the start of the month to take over those same duties for Ty Gibbs at Joe Gibbs Racing. His replacement, Doug Powers, was actually ejected from Talladega after Haley’s car failed pre-race inspection twice. Haley also has four new pit crew members after both his front and rear tire changers, jackman and tire carrier were given to Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team in a swap between the allied organizations.

But the most shocking move is the loss of championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers, who abruptly exited the organization earlier this week. Both parties conceded how the situation wasn’t working for either of them in their respective statements, resulting in Spire appointing Ryan Sparks (who already works as director of competition) as Haley’s new crew chief.

Haley was not involved

Speaking on how it all transpired in a Friday press conference at Talladega Superspeedway, Haley explained that he had no say in the decision.

“I was not (involved), no,” said Haley. “I showed up on Tuesday. We had our normal Tuesday, 8am meeting with the No. 7 team to see how we’d come here (Talladega) and try to win the race. And then after my meetings on Tuesday, I was notified. Yeah, it was unexpected, but to be honest with you, I don’t think anything in this sport surprises me anymore, so you have to deal with adversity and change.

Spire is no stranger to mid-season changes. Haley himself took over the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet in the middle of the 2024 season, replacing Corey LaJoie. And yet, the loss of Childers felt more chaotic to him than that surprising moment last fall.

“Last year, (I) came to Spire Motorsports midway through the year, and somehow, it was a way crazier thing that happened to me than this week,” said Haley. “My life has been full of craziness the last six months. Yeah, hopefully we can find some consistency here with (Ryan) Sparks. Had a lot of fun working with him the back half of the season. I think he’s the plan for now and I enjoy working him.”

Moving forward, Haley has some work to do. The driver has had strong runs this year, but dismal days as well, leaving him 23rd in the championship standings. So where does he go from here?

“For me, (it’s) showing up and doing my job to the best of my ability each week,” said Haley, who faces the longest winless streak among active Cup drivers. “Obviously, it’s an unexpected change and not something you ever want to do in the middle of a season but super proud to be with a race team and owner like Jeff Dickerson that’s not scared to make changes for maybe the better. It was a fit thing, I think. I think Jeff said in his interview with The Athletic, nothing super wrong that stood out.

“I think at the end of the day, we’re in the Cup Series to compete, and on a Sunday in the Cup Series, everything has to be right. If one little thing isn’t right, you’re not going to win races, and that’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what Spire is trying to do. They’ve been putting some much time, effort and resources, money, ability, put people in the right places to try to win races. I don’t think they’re scared to do anything to win a race.”

Photos from Talladega – Qualifying