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.

Advertisement

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 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.

Advertisement

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.”

Justin Haley, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Getty Images

Advertisement

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.”

Read Also:

Shocking split as Rodney Childers and Spire Motorsports part ways

Car chief ejected after Justin Haley fails pre-race inspection twice

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

NASCAR starting positions for Talladega Superspeedway

Tomorrow, NASCAR Cup Series drivers take the green flag in Talladega, Alabama. Now, the field rolls to the 2.66-mile of Talladega Suerspeedway for a round of qualifying.

View the Talladega starting lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series below.

Talladega Menu
ARCA: Qual
Xfinity: Qual
Cup: Qual

Talladega TV Schedule

NASCAR Qualifying (Round 1 – Top 10) : 1. Zane Smith (52.661); 2. Ryan Preece (52.801); 3. Kyle Busch (52.814); 4. Ryan Blaney (52.829); 5. Austin Cindric (52.873); 6. Austin Dillon (52.891); 7. Josh Berry (52.903); 8. Chris Buescher (52.907); 9. Joey Logano (52.910); 10. Ty Gibbs (52.914)

Zane Smith will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 52.564 seconds to grab his first career pole.

Talladega Superspeedway
Starting Lineup
April 27, 2025
NASCAR Cup Series

Pos | Driver | Best Time

1. Zane Smith
52.564

2. Kyle Busch
52.696

3. Joey Logano
52.700

4. Ryan Preece
52.700

5. Austin Dillon
52.736

6. Chris Buescher
52.761

7. Austin Cindric
52.779

8. Josh Berry
52.794

9. Ryan Blaney
52.833

10. Ty Gibbs
52.951

Failed to advance out of Round 1

11. Christopher Bell
52.926

12. Cole Custer
52.941

13. Denny Hamlin
52.983

14. Michael McDowell
52.991

15. Todd Gilliland
52.995

16. William Byron
53.028

17. Chase Briscoe
53.061

18. Alex Bowman
53.083

19. AJ Allmendinger
53.083

20. Bubba Wallace
53.122

21. Ty Dillon
53.123

22. Brad Keselowski
53.139

23. Riley Herbst
53.157

24. Daniel Suarez
53.191

25. Kyle Larson
53.211

26. Tyler Reddick
53.222

27. Noah Gragson
53.264

28. Carson Hocevar
53.298

29. John Hunter Nemechek
53.337

30. Chase Elliott
53.345

31. Anthony Alfredo
53.381

32. Ross Chastain
53.399

33. Cody Ware
53.417

34. Erik Jones
53.503

35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
53.534

36. Shane van Gisbergen
53.538

37. Justin Haley
53.563

38. BJ McLeod
54.103

39. JJ Yeley
55.671

Links

Talladega SuperSpeedway | NASCAR

Just when the NASCAR community was recovering from the loss of Jon Edwards, the sport lost another prominent figure. On Apr. 22, the official Doctor of NASCAR, Dr. Jerry Petty , passed away at the age of 90. Apart from his many contributions to NASCAR as a sport, he touched many lives with his kindness.

Petty was one of the best-practicing neurosurgeons in NASCAR and helped several prominent names in their recoveries. He was often just a call away for medical advice for anyone in NASCAR. He joined NASCAR as a physician and eventually became the sport’s highest-ranking medical professional. Petty was also instrumental in the evolution of NASCAR’s safety protocols, including the inception of the Head and Neck Support Device.

Apart from his medical contributions, Petty also grew close to quite a few prominent NASCAR figures. Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports was one of the many who shared a close personal relationship with Petty. After his demise, Hendrick peid tribute to the iconic doctor.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Tribute to Dr. Jerry Petty

In a press conference, Hendrick revealed being heartbroken after learning about the demise of his dear friend. He said Petty was much more than just a doctor; the neurosurgeon was someone that Hendrick knew he could approach anytime he needed help. He then spoke about his humility and said:

“It didn’t matter if you were a superstar driver or someone behind the scenes. He treated everyone with the same care, compassion, and respect. That’s just who he was.”

Despite holding such a critical position in the NASCAR office, Petty seldom sought recognition or credit and simply wanted to serve the sport to the best of his ability. In 2006, NASCAR honored him with the Bill France Award of Excellence for all his efforts and years of service.

Hendrick also spoke about his family’s close personal ties with Dr. Petty’s family.

“He and his wife Audrey were best friends with my parents – they had breakfast every Saturday morning like clockwork. Jerry was someone I trusted with my life and my family’s lives.”

The HMS owner also mentioned that with Petty’s loss, the world lost an exceptional doctor and a fine and pure-hearted human being. He ended his statement with:

“On behalf of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports, our thoughts are with his children, grandchildren, and everyone who loved him. Jerry Petty made the world better and safer for all of us.”

To pay tribute to Jerry’s massive legacy, all Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the Cup Series—Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman—will wear Petty’s tribute decal on their No. 5, No. 9, No. 24, and No. 48 Chevrolets, respectively, in the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Many others in the NASCAR community mourned Petty’s loss and offered condolences to his family, including NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kenny Wallace .

It’s a full day of racing at Talladega Superspeedway with Cup qualifying and races for the ARCA and Xfinity series keeping cars on track for at least eight hours.

The NASCAR Cup Series will hit the 2.66-mile track for the first time this weekend at 10:30 a.m. in a qualifying session for Sunday’s 500-mile race. Michael McDowell (then driving for Front Row Motorsports) won both pole positions at Talladega last year but starting first seems an unfavorable omen. In six races with the Next Gen car, the Talladega pole-sitter has finished 17th or worse.

Jake Finch is the defending winner of the 76-lap ARCA race.

Jesse Love won the Xfinity race at Talladega last April and is one of six different winners in the past six races there.

Talladega Superspeedway schedule

(All Times Eastern)

Saturday, April 26

Garage open

• 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. — Cup Series
• 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. — ARCA Series
• 1 – 10 p.m. — Xfinity Series

Track activity

• 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Cup qualifying (Prime, MRN)
• 12:30 p.m. — ARCA race (76 laps, 202.16 miles; FS1)
• 4 p.m. — Xfinity race (113 laps, 300.58 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 25, Stage 2 at Lap 50; CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weather

Saturday: Partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. High of 83 degrees with a 40% chance of rain. It’s expected to be 77 degrees with a 24% chance of rain at the start of the ARCA race and 81 degrees with a 41% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.

Los Angeles, California – Kendall Jenner has teamed up with NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger for a new partnership!

The 29-year-old supermodel’s brand, 818 Tequila, is now sponsoring Breidinger for her 2025 Craftsman Truck Series.

The 25-year-old race-car driver and model announced the partnership via social media with a video of herself modeling an olive green-and- white 818-branded uniform.

She captioned the post, “I am thrilled to partner with 818 Tequila for my 2025 Racing Season. Let the races begin.”

Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo gives powerful speech as she accepts Planned Parenthood award

Breidinger teased the collaboration to Sports Illustrated, saying, “As a tequila lover, 818 Tequila has always been my favorite, so partnering with them for the 2025 season is a dream come true.”

She added, “I am proud to team up with a brand that is unapologetically itself and continues to uplift women.”

Kenny also praised the fellow California native, who is the first Arab-American woman to compete in NASCAR and holds the record for the most top-10 finishes by a woman.

“Toni Breidinger is a force both on the track and on social media,” the reality star said. “We are so excited to partner with her for our first national sports partnership.”

The No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for driver Justin Haley failed pre-qualifying inspection twice Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR officials announced.

As a result, car chief Doug Powers has been ejected for the remainder of the event weekend at the Talladega, Alabama track. The No. 7 team will also lose pit selection for Sunday’s Jack Link’s 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Advertisement

MORE: Talladega schedule | Race weekend hub

Spire Motorsports announced earlier this week that it parted ways with crew chief Rodney Childers, effective immediately. Competition director and former No. 7 pit boss Ryan Sparks will once again be atop the box for Haley in Sunday’s race and for the foreseeable future as interim crew chief. Childers joined the Spire organization in the offseason after 11 years at Stewart-Haas Racing, which folded at the end of the 2024 season. Spire signed him last July to a multiyear deal, and he began this year working with Haley.

The Indiana native, currently 23rd in points, has a pair of top 10s at Talladega in 10 starts, each coming in the past three races at the track. 2.66-mile facility. His lone Cup Series victory came at another drafting track, Daytona International Speedway, in 2019.