Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick has shared his surprise at the unexpected exit of Rodney Childers from Spire Motorsports.

Childers, who had only worked with Justin Haley’s No. 7 team for nine races, left Spire Motorsports at the end of last month.

Harvick and Childers partnered at Stewart-Haas Racing, and the duo collected 37 victories together during a decade-long partnership.

Speaking on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast, the former driver commented:

“That one kind of caught me off guard.

“I think, as you look at the statements and things that everybody shared throughout the process, it seemed like it was a mutual agreement that it wasn’t working. So, it’ll be interesting to see how everybody moves on.”

He added: “I think that, you know, the No. 7 ran — didn’t run great again this weekend. I think, as you look at Rodney and his credentials, hopefully he winds up somewhere where he’ll make a difference, because I think he can. He’s got the credibility, and the history of results that go with it.”

The news broke in late April, when Spire Motorsports confirmed they were parting ways with the crew chief.

Childers has since spoken out about the exit. He explained during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:

“Going into it, I was super excited about going there,” he commented.

“They had treated me really well. Our announcement last year [of his hiring] was big, and there was a lot of excitement around it. We had a great off-season. I felt like we had so much fun in the offseason… our equipment looked nice, we had a ton of really good guys come into the building, we were making, what I thought, was gains on the cars and just making them look better and nicer and lighter and all those things.

“Really, everything was going fine. You could kind of tell after we got racing a little bit that maybe it wasn’t going the way that we all wanted, and a lot of times that’s performance-based or that can be how things are going at the shop or how things are going at the racetrack, and what’s the communication like, and just the chemistry of all of it. It’s not one person, it’s not two people, it’s 200 people, and just figuring that out as we went.

“I think it finally came to a point where they could kind of tell I wasn’t happy, and I could tell that maybe they weren’t happy.

“It just kind of started falling apart a little bit, and I could sense it a little bit maybe a couple of weeks before that. It started getting quiet around there, and anytime it gets quiet, you start wondering.

“Overall, it was just one of those things that just wasn’t working, and they’re the type of team that is willing to pull the trigger, and a lot of teams don’t. They’re willing to take that chance… It doesn’t bother me as badly as I thought it was going to because I didn’t really feel it was working either. It just fell apart.

“Like I said, they were super good to me while I was there, they’re good people, they have a good race team, it was fun to be in the shop with the truck guys, and I’m going to miss a lot of those guys over there. But overall, it’s time to think about things and move on.”

“I’ve always loved going fast,” race car driver Lindsay Brewer says. “Since I was two years old, I would push on my mom’s thumb on a jet ski to go faster.” These days, Brewer is driving her own need for speed behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, no less, competing against just a handful of women who have reached the top levels of motorsports.

But she’s also driving a movement that extends far beyond the confines of a racetrack: the push for more women to realize that they have a place within sports that have, for far too long, been considered a man’s world.

The road to racing success has been far from smooth for Brewer, not least because there are so few resources being made available to women attempting to break into motorsports. It’s a journey that she has had to fuel herself from the start — and one that has only been made possible, somewhat ironically, by her ability to reach the pinnacle of success in a very contrasting industry: modeling.

Having made a major mark on the racing industry at a young age, she started her career on a go-karting track (as so many Formula 1 drivers do), where she was competing against the likes of Lance Stroll and Logan Sargeant.

But just as she was making the move from go-karts to cars, Brewer hit a major bump in the road when her funding fell through, leaving her forced to drop out of the sport altogether.

“My family wasn’t able to financially support me, so I ended up going to university, where I got my business degree in 2019,” she says. “But I was sad because I was like, ‘Is this it? Am I not going to be able to race again?’ It was four years of my life that I wasn’t doing what I loved, because it is such an expensive sport. But then, fortunately, I was able to grow my social media following and use that to partner with brands and I started racing again in 2021.”

Her social media superstardom allowed Brewer to raise enough money to fund her career on the racetrack, but it also saw her treated like an outsider. She was a “wannabe” who her detractors decided had no place in the sport because she was a woman who proudly embraced her femininity, both online and in racing.

“It does make people take me less seriously,” she says. “It’s like, ‘Oh, here’s this influencer who wants to be a race car driver.’ But little do they know, I’ve been racing since I was 11. That came first.”

“I think what people don’t realize is that modeling and social media have allowed me to get back in the seat and race. I don’t have the luxury to just not have social media, drop off the face of the earth, race cars, and not worry about it.”

“I don’t like being fit into a certain box. I can be very feminine and very girly, and still be a badass driver. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

In essence, femininity is — quite literally — the thing that fuels her career, a career that involves high-speed racing, makeup, and photoshoots.

And while some might view those two industries as being polar opposites, Brewer insists there is a synergy between them, noting that finding her confidence on the racetrack and her confidence in front of the camera both come down to the same ideal: look good, feel good, do good.

“My dad used to be like, ‘Lindsay, why are you wearing makeup at the track? This isn’t a fashion show.’ And I think that’s just a dumb guy mentality, but even my dad had that mindset,” she says. “But they don’t understand, when I look my best, I feel good, and it gives me that confidence to go and win a race. If you feel good, you’ll do better in whatever you’re doing. Confidence is key.”

Brewer describes her makeup like a “mask” — one that helps her to face whatever challenge lies ahead with cool confidence. And one that only requires a handful of products, depending on the day.

The key weapon in her beauty arsenal? A killer lip combo, namely a slick of the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipstick ($35) and the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Watermelon Slice ($18) — a favorite among F1 drivers.

Of course, racing brings with it a whole new list of beauty challenges, from the hours spent in the sun to the helmet hair, which Brewer admits is an ongoing struggle, but she’s found some essentials that have helped to tackle both. The Peter Thomas Roth Max Mineral Tinted Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 45 ($38) serves as a sun protectant and a foundation while she’s at the track, while K18’s Molecular Repair Mask ($75) and Molecular Repair Hair Oil ($65) help to keep her hair under control.

As for those who dare to question if her love of beauty might slow her down? She’s ready to leave them in her dust.

“I don’t like being fit into a certain box. I can be very feminine and very girly, and still be a badass driver. It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” she says. “I’ll always wear my makeup, no matter what.”

Charlie Lankston is a freelance beauty, fashion, and lifestyle writer and media strategist based in New York City, having relocated to the US in 2014 from her home in London. Charlie spent 10 years working at DailyMail.com, where she oversaw the website’s style, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle content. Charlie also appears as an on-air royal and celebrity correspondent.

Texas Motor Speedway will be busy for more than eight consecutive hours with practice, qualifying and racing for the Truck and Xfinity Series.

The Truck series will practice and qualify in the afternoon for a 167-lap race that will begin at 8 p.m. ET (FS1).

Connor Zilisch sustained lower back injuries in the last-lap Talladega crash.

The Xfinity Series will practice and qualify for a 200-lap race Saturday.

The Cup Series garage also will open for five hours Friday for technical inspections ahead of practice and qualifying Saturday.

Chase Elliott looks to score his first Cup points win since last year’s Texas race, while Ryan Blaney seeks to end recent struggles.

Texas Motor Speedway schedule

(All Times Eastern)

Friday, May 2

Garage open

• 9:30 a.m. – midnight — Truck Series
• 12 – 7:30 p.m. — Xfinity Series
• 2 – 7 p.m. — Cup Series

Track activity

• 2:35 – 3:30 p.m. — Truck practice (No TV)
• 3:40 – 4:30 p.m. — Truck qualifying (No TV)
• 5 – 5:55 p.m. — Xfinity practice (CW App)
• 6:05 – 7 p.m. — Xfinity qualifying (CW App)
• 8 p.m. — Truck race (167 laps, 250.5 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 40, Stage 2 at Lap 80; FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Weather

Friday: Scattered thunderstorms in the a.m. and cloudy skies later in the day with a high of 72 degrees. Winds from the north-northeast at 10 to 15 mph and a 50% chance of rain. It’s expected to be 70 degrees with a 24% chance of rain at the start of the truck race.

One driver who’s surprised a lot of people this season is Josh Berry. He’s the latest to take the wheel of the iconic No. 21 car for Wood Brothers Racing—and he even picked up his first Cup Series win with them at Las Vegas. Not bad for just his second year in the Cup Series.

So far, Berry has two top-five finishes and has definitely turned some heads in the WBR camp. Generally, one-car teams in NASCAR struggle—just look at the Haas Factory Team or Rick Ware Racing. But Berry’s starting to change that story. And thanks to that strong showing, he’s landed a major sponsor.

Next up is the Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway: the Würth 400. What makes this weekend even more special for Berry and WBR is that the event’s title sponsor is now backing their team.

Josh Berry Is Pumped To Get a New Partner

This will only be Berry’s second time taking a Next Gen car around Texas, but he’s no stranger to the track. The 34-year-old has four Xfinity Series starts on the 1.5-mile oval and finished in the top 10 twice.

His first Cup start there didn’t go so well—he finished P36—but this time, he’s coming in with more confidence. First, because he’s having a solid season. Second, because he now has the backing of Würth.

The Würth Group, based in Germany, includes 400 companies and is valued at more than $20 billion. That’s huge—and getting support from the race’s title sponsor makes this weekend even more meaningful for Berry.

Talking about the new deal, Berry said, “It’s always exciting to welcome a new partner to the team, and having Würth join us for the Würth 400 makes it even more special. The car looks awesome – it’s a clean, aggressive design that really stands out. I’m looking forward to getting to Texas and hopefully putting together a strong run.”

This has to be a big boost for WBR. The team has struggled in recent years. Just last season, the only reason they made the playoffs was because Harrison Burton survived a wild Daytona race and got pushed to the front by Parker Retzlaff for the win.

But now, with a steady hand like Berry behind the wheel, the team is looking stronger than it has in a long time. The Vegas win wasn’t a fluke. The No. 21 team ran up front consistently, led laps, and earned it.

And now, with a big-name sponsor coming on board—especially at a time when NASCAR is battling for attention and major sponsors like FedEx have left—it says a lot about where WBR is headed.