NASCAR Cup Series team announce SHOCK exit of former championship winner

Spire Motorsports have announced the shock departure of a championship-winning member of their staff, hired with some fanfare less than a year ago.

Rodney Childers was Kevin Harvick's crew chief when he won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship, and had been hired to be crew chief of Justin Haley's #7 Chevrolet from the start of this season.

However, Childers has left the organization after just nine races, with both he and Spire posting official statements to confirm the shocking move ahead of this weekend's Cup Series race at Talladega, the team admitting that the week's break in action had allowed them to take a look at their own processes.

The team has not yet named a replacement on the #7 team, currently sat 23rd in the standings with a single top-10 finish coming at Homestead last month.

Childers: I wish Spire and Haley the best

The team's statement read: "NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport and the path to improvement isn't always comfortable. The break in the Cup Series schedule gave us a chance to evaluate where we are as a program. We took the opportunity to discuss the best paths forward for everyone involved and the team and Rodney agreed that it would be best for us to part ways.

"Rodney has worked at the highest level of our sport for 20 years, and he knows what it takes to win championships. With that in mind, we collectively acknowledged challenges with the team dynamic. Having the right combination of talent is just as important as the results on track.

"As we move in a new direction it is not lost on us that Rodney has been an invaluable asset to our organization, as he will continue to be for others in this sport."

Childers himself wrote: "I know this is a shock. But also know that not everything works out perfect all the time. 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 JH [Haley] 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.

"Also want to say thank you to everyone at Chevrolet, Mr H. [Rick Hendrick] and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for my time working with them again. It was a pleasure. Thank you to NASCAR, the officials, and most importantly the fans for your support."

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