Rodney Childers reflects on his future plans following Spire exit

Only after nine races together, Spire Motorsports and crew chief Rodney Childers decided to part ways, raising several eyebrows throughout the entire NASCAR community. The Cup Series arrived at two stops (Talladega and Texas) since then, but still, it is not clear where Childers is headed next.

Childers appeared on the latest episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, which features guests like Tommy Baldwin Jr., Karsyn Elledge, Steve Park, Tony Hirschman Jr., and Richard "Slugger" Labbe each week. When asked what he’s planning on doing after his exit from Spire, the 48-year-old Mooresville native said,

“Everybody comes to a turning point in their life to where you have to think about everything. I think this is one of those times. Right now, you have to look at everything. You have to figure it all out and see what comes next.”

While Rodney Childers was busy figuring out exactly what he wanted to do next, Kevin Harvick, his old friend back at Stewart-Haas Racing, staged an unexpected comeback for him. Childers showed up at Ace Speedway on Saturday to help out Harvick’s Late Model team in the CARS Tour.

To this day, Childers has 40 wins in the Cup Series to his credit, which ranks him second in wins among active crew chiefs. Reflecting on his most recent alliance with Harvick and what he wants to do next career-wise, the NASCAR veteran told Frontstretch.com,

“I definitely want to continue to be in the Cup Series and continue to win Cup races. So this is just a little bit of extra, a little bit of icing on the cake. It’s fun to win races, that’s what it’s all about.” (2:44)

Although it’s not certain where his next stop will be, the final goal remains clear for Rodney Childers: he wants to be with a good team that strives to win races each week. However, his long-term goal is to get past 700 races as a crew chief and hit that 50-win mark.

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“It doesn't bother me as badly”- Rodney Childers reflects on his abrupt Spire exit

A championship-winning crew chief like Rodney Childers exited his team before the series was even halfway through the season, which came as a bolt from the blue for several NASCAR fans and pundits. But Childers wasn’t too bothered by it, as the decision was mutual between Childers and Spire owner Jeff Dickerson.

Detailing the same during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Rodney Childers said (2:02),

“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,” he added.

Last Sunday, NASCAR hosted its 11th points-paying race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano won the race, thus making the playoffs. The Mustang maestro is now set for a back-to-back championship sweep.

Up next is the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. The 267-lap race has been scheduled for Sunday, May 11. Fans can watch it live on FS1 (3 pm ET onwards) or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.