Spire Motorsports running it back after departure of legendary crew chief

With the departure of legendary crew chief Rodney Childers, Spire Motorsports announced on Thursday that Ryan Sparks will return to the pit box of the No. 7 team.

“As a follow up to yesterday’s news, Ryan Sparks will return to the pit box as crew chief for Justin Haley and the No. 7 team for the duration of the 2025 season. Sparks will once again serve in a dual role as Crew Chief and Director of Competition,” the team said in a social media post today.

This is the same dual role he had the past four years with Corey Lajoie behind the wheel. Sparks even worked with Haley for the final seven races of last season after the rare in-season trade that sent Lajoie to Rick Ware Racing in exchange for Haley, who the team the signed to a multi-year deal.

Haley is currently 32nd in the championship standings after nine races this year, with just one top-10, but is 23rd and the championship standings after the car finished last year 32nd in the final owner results.

By Matt Weaver

Matt Weaver is a former dirt racer turned motorsports journalist. He can typically be found perched on a concrete ... More about Matt Weaver