When Justin Haley rejoined Spire Motorsports at the end of 2024, he was full of optimism. After bouncing around different teams, Haley saw Spire as a place to rebuild his career. He was excited to work with some of the best minds in the garage. Among the biggest reasons for his hope was teaming up with legendary crew chief Rodney Childers. Haley called the move a “fresh start” and spoke about the excitement of working with a championship-winning mind.

Through the final stretch of 2024, Haley and Spire showed flashes of promise. Haley believed they were setting the foundation for a strong 2025 season. He said, “I’m proud to be part of a group that isn’t afraid to make changes to win.” With Childers atop the pit box and an experienced crew around him, Haley thought the ingredients were finally in place. Fast-forward to Talladega this past week, and Rodney Childers, one of the biggest pieces of that dream, is gone.

Things went downhill fast for Justin Haley before the engines even roared at Talladega. During Friday’s pre-race technical inspection, the No. 7 Chevrolet failed not once, but twice. It finally passed on the third try, but not without consequences. NASCAR officials ejected car chief Doug Powers and stripped Justin Haley of his pit stall selection, forcing him to take whatever spot remained.

One fan wrote, “Haley loses his car chief and crew chief over a couple weeks and immediately starts failing inspection.” The timeline backs them up. Rodney Childers was out midweek before Talladega. Within days, they ejected Powers, and Haley faced another setback. This collapse at Talladega isn’t just bad luck. It’s a symbol of a deeper problem.

Notably, Rodney Childers’ departure stunned the garage. He wasn’t pushed out because of poor performance. Haley and Childers had one top-10 in nine NASCAR Cup series races—not earth-shattering, but hardly terrible for Spire. Instead, Jeff Dickerson revealed the real reason: lack of chemistry, energy, and communication. “It wasn’t working for either of us,” Spire said in a statement. Dickerson added, “You don’t get to date before you get married.”

There was no drama, just misalignment. Yet for fans, losing a crew chief of Childers’ caliber after just nine races was a huge red flag. The timing couldn’t have been worse either. Right when Spire needed stability, they were throwing away their biggest asset. Even before Childers left, Spire Motorsports had been leaking key people like a broken faucet. Justin Haley saw four members of his pit crew—including his jackman and both tire changers—defect to Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team.

Smith, his original car chief, bailed out to join Joe Gibbs Racing. Now, with officials throwing out Doug Powers after inspection failures, the No. 7 crew looks nothing like the team Haley was promised. Notably, Ryan Sparks has stepped back into the crew chief role after serving as competition director. Sparks had been Haley’s crew chief during the last seven races of 2024, so there’s familiarity.

While Sparks brings familiarity, he doesn’t bring the championship pedigree that Childers carried. In his NASCAR Cup Series career, Sparks has nine top-10s and three top-5s but no wins. That’s a huge drop-off in experience compared to Childers. Spire’s hopes now rest on Sparks and Haley finding quick chemistry to stop the bleeding. But with so much turnover, instability is the only thing that seems consistent for the No. 7 team right now.

Spire Motorsports becomes the punchline for fans!

The NASCAR fanbase didn’t waste time lighting up Spire Motorsports after the latest debacle at Talladega. Their reactions were harsh, funny, and painfully true. One fan mocked, “Laughing in Rodney Childers,” highlighting how Childers must feel lucky to be free from the current mess. After all, a man with 40 wins and a championship under his belt shouldn’t have to babysit a crumbling operation.

Some fans took the humor even further. “Those are going to be some long pit stops on Sunday watching him change tires by himself,” posted a user. Given how many crew members Haley has lost, it’s a brutal but funny jab at just how depleted the team has become. Some also pointed out that Haley is going to hire Morgan Shepherd. Notably, in 2001 Shepherd did change his own tiers in a publicity stunt during a NASCAR Truck Race.

One fan even questioned if Haley made the right career move, writing, “Alright who cursed Justin Haley this year? Honestly he showed more potential at Rick Ware! Maybe he’s just better in a Ford like Brandon Jones is better in Toyotas.” Harsh but not wrong. Haley had flashes of brilliance at Rick Ware Racing, despite the team’s lower resources. Since moving to Spire, the results have not improved, and now he faces even more obstacles without the leadership he was counting on.

Meanwhile, some others leaned into superstition. One user said, “I’m starting to think the 7 car is cursed.” Pit crew members left, a championship crew chief walked away, and the team failed inspection at one of the season’s biggest races. It’s hard to argue with the growing sense of doom. The No. 7 Chevy keeps spiraling through a cycle of bad luck and worse decisions. Fans can spot a mess when they see one. Spire Motorsports promised to build toward something bigger, but right now, they seem stuck in reverse. Instead, it looks like the foundation is crumbling beneath them. Unless Sparks and Haley can find magic quickly, 2025 might go down as another lost season for the No. 7 team.