Motorsports

Shock Rodney Childers dismissal ‘wasn’t about results,’ Spire co-owner says

Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson knows what it looks like when a young team parts ways with a championship crew chief after just nine races together. Sure enough, this week’s shocking decision to dismiss Justin Haley’s crew chief, Rodney Childers — who is second on the active crew chief wins list in the NASCAR Cup […]

Published

1 month ago

April 26, 2025

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Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson knows what it looks like when a young team parts ways with a championship crew chief after just nine races together.

Sure enough, this week’s shocking decision to dismiss Justin Haley’s crew chief, Rodney Childers — who is second on the active crew chief wins list in the NASCAR Cup Series — certainly raised eyebrows around the garage.

What the heck is going on there?

“We know from the outside, it looks like we are just pulling this out of our a— here,” Dickerson told The Athletic on Thursday. “I understand why people would think that. An organization like ours, nine races in, moving a guy who has got 40 Cup wins and a championship? Something really huge had to happen, right? There had to be something that happened.”

But there wasn’t, Dickerson insisted. It turned out Childers and Spire simply weren’t a good fit for one another, Dickerson said, and the decision came down to either making a change now — a somewhat opportune time after the only off week of the season — or hoping for a Band-Aid that would perhaps prolong the inevitable.

“In this sport, you don’t get to date before you get married and move into the house together, and this is just one of those examples where things look good on paper but maybe don’t translate,” Dickerson said. “This wasn’t about results. This wasn’t about speed. You notice the energy is off, the communication is off. It just got to a point where it was like, ‘I’ll just deal with the consequences of this because it’s best for all parties involved.’”

“This wasn’t about results,” Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said. “You notice the energy is off, the communication is off.” (Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Dickerson said his “mistake” was pairing similar personalities together. Childers is an old-school crew chief and Haley is an old soul driver, Dickerson said; both are also on the quiet side. The team owner, who is a former spotter and driver agent, felt there wasn’t a “spark plug” or “big motor guy” to grab hold of the situation and turn it around.

Now, competition director Ryan Sparks, who is more of Haley’s opposite personality, will crew chief for the No. 7 team during the remainder of the season.

“It doesn’t mean people don’t like each other or everybody did something wrong,” said Dickerson, who repeatedly praised Childers’ credentials and respect level within the garage. “We approached him on it and were pointing out the things I thought where we were at, and we just arrived at the same place.”

Told of Dickerson’s comments, Childers agreed it “just wasn’t working” and didn’t think it was a surprise for the parties to go in different directions based on internal discussions within the team.

There wasn’t much more to add at this time, he told The Athletic.

Still, despite Dickerson’s insistence that no one thing triggered the decision, there will certainly be questions about how this relationship suddenly and quickly ended.

Did Haley want someone different atop the pit box and push for Childers’ departure, with Dickerson covering for him?

The answer is no, Dickerson says. Haley, he said, was informed of the decision after it was made rather than being part of the process. Haley “was as surprised about it as Rodney was,” Dickerson said.

Or was it that Childers was acting as somewhat of a lone wolf within the organization, not working openly with the other crew chiefs (as had been his reputation at one point while crew-chiefing for Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing)?

Dickerson said that although he had heard that label “screamed and whispered in the garage” for years and wondered if it could be an issue for Childers at Spire, it wasn’t the case.

“Rodney was a team player, and he wasn’t like that,” Dickerson said. “We never saw that side of him. That’s not what happened here, and I don’t think that part of him was going to emerge. Rodney, for the most part, bought into how we do things.”

Dickerson said he knows it sounds crazy, but the decision was more about differing expectations from both parties that didn’t find common ground.

“It’s not lost on me that it’s like, ‘You’re telling me Spire, who couldn’t even get out of their own way two years ago, is parting ways with a championship-winning guy in Rodney Childers?’” Dickerson said. “But the easy thing here would have been to let it roll, and Spire is not in a position to hope for change; Spire is in a position of needing to cause change.

“In this case, we know we’re putting ourselves in a position to be scrutinized. But this is consistent with our values and what we’ve advised our own clients (as a sports agency) to do forever, and we had to stay true to ourselves.”

(Top photo of Rodney Childers at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February: Jeffrey Vest / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Motorsports

Start time, how to watch live, purse, and more

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway is set to take place on Friday, 30 May. Heading into the race, Tricon Garage driver Corey Heim leads the drivers’ standings with 511 points, a 100-point advantage on Front Row Motorsports driver Chandler Smith who sits n second. Daniel Hemric follows behind in third with 401 […]

Published

3 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway is set to take place on Friday, 30 May.

Heading into the race, Tricon Garage driver Corey Heim leads the drivers’ standings with 511 points, a 100-point advantage on Front Row Motorsports driver Chandler Smith who sits n second. Daniel Hemric follows behind in third with 401 points.

Here is everything you need to know to catch all of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on-track action in Nashville, Tennessee.

When is the NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway?

Friday, 30 May

4.05 p.m. ET: NASCAR Truck Series – Practice
5.10 p.m. ET: NASCAR Truck Series – Qualifying
8 p.m. ET: NASCAR Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200

How to watch the NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway

Both practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway will be broadcast on FS1. The race, the Rackley Roofing 200, can be followed live on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

What is the purse for the NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway?

The purse for the Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway will be $782,900. This includes payouts, all positions, contingency awards, contributions to the year-end points fund, etc.

Christian Eckes, McAnally Hilgemann Racing, Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado celebrates in victory lane

Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images

NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway: Repeat winners

The NASCAR Truck Series Rackley Roofing 200 had been held at Nashville Superspeedway from 2001 until 2011. After a 10-year break, it returned in 2021. The only repeat winners, with two wins each, are Johnny Benson Jr. (2006, 2008), Kyle Busch (2010, 2011), and Ryan Preece (2021, 2022).

NASCAR Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway entry list

1. William Sawalich – TRICON Garage
2. Nathan Byrd – Young’s Motorsports
3. Clayton Green – Reaume Brothers Racing
4. Toni Breidinger – TRICON Garage
5. Kyle Busch – Spire Motorsports
6. Corey Day – Spire Motorsports
7. Grant Enfinger – CR7 Motorsports
8. Corey Heim – TRICON Garage
9. Jake Garcia – ThorSport Racing
10. Tanner Gray – TRICON Garage
11. Giovanni Ruggiero – TRICON Garage
12. Tyler Ankrum – McAnally Hilgemann Racing
13. Daniel Hemric – McAnally Hilgemann Racing
14. Tyler Tomassi – Reaume Brothers Racing
15. Dawson Sutton – Rackley W.A.R.
16. Frankie Muniz – Reaume Brothers Racing
17. Layne Riggs – Front Row Motorsports
18. Chandler Smith – Front Row Motorsports
19. Matt Mills – Niece Motorsports
20. Bayley Currey – Niece Motorsports
21. Kaden Honeycutt – Niece Motorsports
22. Stewart Friesen – Halmar Friesen Racing
23. Akinori Ogata – Akinori Performance
24. Luke Fenhaus – ThorSport Racing
25. Rajah Caruth – Spire Motorsports
26. Spencer Boyd – Freedom Racing Enterprises
27. Andres Perez De Lara – Spire Motorsports
28. Connor Mosack – McAnally Hilgemann Racing
29. Matt Crafton – ThorSport Racing
30. Jack Wood – McAnally Hilgemann Racing
31. Ty Majeski – ThorSport Racing
32. Ben Rhodes – ThorSport Racing

What are the NASCAR Truck Series standings ahead of Nashville Superspeedway?

1. Corey Heim – 511
2. Chandler Smith – 411
3. Daniel Hemric – 401
4. Tyler Ankrum – 382
5. Grant Enfinger – 371
6. Layne Riggs – 342
7. Kaden Honeycutt – 335
8. Jake Garcia – 332
9. Ty Majeski – 327
10. Stewart Friesen – 291
11. Giovanni Ruggiero – 284
12. Ben Rhodes – 281
13. Rajah Caruth – 274
14. Tanner Gray – 253
15. Matt Crafton – 238
16. Matt Mills – 216
17. Jack Wood – 215
18. Connor Mosack – 201
19. Andres Perez De Lara – 200
20. Dawson Sutton – 190
21. Spencer Boyd – 164
22. Bayley Currey – 151
23. Toni Breidinger – 144
24. Frankie Muniz – 127
25. Luke Fenhaus – 110
26. Nathan Byrd – 102
27. Josh Reaume – 66
28. Parker Kligerman – 61
29. Timmy Hill – 60
30. Stefan Parsons – 59
31. Cody Dennison – 58
32. Luke Baldwin – 46
33. Justin S Carroll – 46
34. Norm Benning – 32
35. Lawless Alan – 31
36. Jason M. White – 29
37. Johnny Sauter – 29
38. BJ McLeod – 22
39. Patrick Emerling – 18
40. Brent Crews – 18
41. Stephen Mallozzi – 15
42. Matthew Gould – 14
43. Morgen Baird – 12
44. Keith McGee – 12
45. Conner Jones – 10
46. Jayson Alexander – 7
47. Ryan Roulette – 7
48. Michel Disdier – 6
49. Alan Waller – 6
50. Akinori Ogata – 5
51. Clay Greenfield – 4
52. Derek White – 4

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Motorsports

Kyle Petty Urges Spire Motorsports to Give Carson Hocevar the William Byron Treatment

Kyle Petty isn’t running for the job, but if he wanted it, he could easily become president of the Carson Hocevar fan club. The long-time NASCAR racer turned broadcast analyst recently started a new podcast called ‘Kiss My Ass-phalt’, where he expresses his thoughts and opinions on NASCAR. One of the first things he touted […]

Published

28 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Kyle Petty isn’t running for the job, but if he wanted it, he could easily become president of the Carson Hocevar fan club.

The long-time NASCAR racer turned broadcast analyst recently started a new podcast called ‘Kiss My Ass-phalt’, where he expresses his thoughts and opinions on NASCAR.

One of the first things he touted in his opening show was Carson Hocevar, who won Sunoco Rookie of the Year Honors last season by a huge margin over other rookies such as Josh Berry, Zane Smith, and Kaz Grala.

In no uncertain terms, Petty says Spire Motorsports should sign Hocevar to a long-term contract in much the same way Hendrick Motorsports signed William Byron to a four-year deal last week.

Petty implies that unless Spire ownership gets smart and signs Hocevar to a long-term deal, he could be lured away by a bigger and better-funded team in the near future when his current contract expires.

“I bring up Carson Hocevar because I think that we’re seeing the emergence of a new superstar in this sport,” Petty said. “I go back to Atlanta, everybody was cussing Carson Hocevar at Atlanta, what’s Carson Hocevar doing up here running with us? What’s he doing sticking his nose in? We heard it from (Ryan) Blaney, we heard it from a number of drivers who have won championships and won races.

“Carson Hocevar is flexing his muscle. Carson Hocevar showed that he can lead, he can run up front, and he can race with these guys, and he can race competitive and race clean with these guys.

“If not for a blown engine, we don’t know what could have happened because I think he would have been a factor at the end of the race. At one point in time, we had Carson Hocevar, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick. We saw a changing of the guard with William Byron, we saw a changing of the guard with these guys are all in their early 20s or late 20s, early 30s, running up front.

“The only veteran in that pack was Denny Hamlin. He was still getting it done, but you’re seeing a changing of the guard.”

Petty then made a bold prediction: “So pay close attention to people like this. Watch Carson Hocevar. If I’m Spire (Motorsports), I’m signing him to a long, long, long-term deal right now.

“We know that William Byron just got a new deal. Carson Hocevar deserves a new deal.”

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Motorsports

Motorsports: Aussie eyes dirt-track future in United States | Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — They refer to dirt-track racing in Blake Glynn’s home country of Australia as “speedway,” and he would like to make a career working in it stateside. Glynn, 17, lives in Winchelsea, Victoria, a city of just over 2,000 people situated at the southeast tip of the country, not far from Melbourne. The […]

Published

45 minutes ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — They refer to dirt-track racing in Blake Glynn’s home country of Australia as “speedway,” and he would like to make a career working in it stateside.

Glynn, 17, lives in Winchelsea, Victoria, a city of just over 2,000 people situated at the southeast tip of the country, not far from Melbourne. The state of Victoria is home to both Avalon Raceway and Premier Speedway, which hosts the Classic, Australia’s version of the Knoxville Nationals.

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Motorsports

Indy 500 Champion Alex Palou’s Explosive NASCAR Debut Announcement Shocks Racing World

Indy 500 sensation Alex Palou makes a roaring statement after his historic victory at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway! The 109th running of the prestigious race saw Palou emerge victorious, solidifying his name in the motorsport hall of fame. Palou, the newly crowned champion, has now set tongues wagging with talks about a potential NASCAR […]

Published

3 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Palou, the newly crowned champion, has now set tongues wagging with talks about a potential NASCAR debut. The racing world is abuzz with excitement as fans eagerly await to see if the Indy 500 hero will make a bold leap into the high-octane world of NASCAR.

The Spanish racing prodigy’s triumph at the Indy 500 has catapulted him into the global spotlight, with many speculating about his next move. Will Palou bring his winning skills and fearless attitude to the NASCAR tracks? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure – the racing community is brimming with anticipation for what could be a game-changing debut in the world of stock car racing.

Stay tuned as Alex Palou gears up to potentially conquer yet another frontier in his already illustrious racing career!

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Motorsports

Struggling NASCAR Star Will Brown Battles Sponsorship Woes: The Harsh Reality of Oval Dreams

Australian racing sensation Will Brown, reigning champion of the Supercar Series, is facing a tough challenge hindering his NASCAR dreams. Despite a promising start in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024, Brown encountered setbacks that he is determined to overcome. Returning to the stock car racing scene this year at the Chicago Street Course, Brown […]

Published

3 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Returning to the stock car racing scene this year at the Chicago Street Course, Brown candidly discussed the hurdles he faces as a stock car driver, referring to them as the “difficult part” of his journey. The 26-year-old driver made his debut with Richard Childress Racing at the Sonoma Raceway, showing potential during practice sessions. However, persistent electrical issues plagued his performance, leading to a disappointing 31st place finish in the race.

Switching teams this season, Will Brown joined Kaulig Racing for the Chicago Street Course event in July. Despite facing challenges with sponsorships, Brown remains optimistic about his prospects in the Cup Series. He emphasized the importance of securing sponsors and support to progress in his racing career, expressing hopes of competing in Xfinity or Truck oval races in the future.

With 11 career wins and a third-place finish at the Bathurst 1000 last year, Will Brown is a force to be reckoned with in the racing world. Eager to showcase his talents on the road course with Kaulig Racing, Brown shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming race with fans, expressing his excitement for the opportunity.

Inspired by fellow racer Shane van Gisbergen’s performance at the Chicago Street Race in 2023, Brown’s ambition to excel in the NASCAR Cup Series is stronger than ever. Team owner Matt Kaulig echoed this sentiment, expressing confidence in Brown’s abilities and the team’s readiness to compete for victory in the prestigious event.

The Grant Park 165, part of the Cup Series Chicago Street Race, is scheduled for July 6, 2025, promising an intense 75-lap/165-mile race broadcasted by major sports networks. As Will Brown gears up for this thrilling competition, fans and competitors alike await to witness his prowess on the track.

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Motorsports

Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville

The NASCAR Cup Series makes its lone visit of the year to the Music City this weekend, competing in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Here’s a look at what to expect as the NASCAR starts take on Nashville on Sunday. Date: June 1, 2025Track: Nashville Superspeedway (Lebanon, Tennessee)Time: 7:00 p.m. ETTV: Prime VideoStages: […]

Published

10 hours ago

May 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation