What Kevin Harvick said on former ally Rodney Childers’ sudden Spire exit

Former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick recently shared his views on Spire Motorsports parting ways with veteran crew chief Rodney Childers. The news of the separation came last month, just nine races into the 2025 season.

Childers was Harvick’s crew chief at the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. Between 2014 and 2023 (when Harvick retired), the driver-crew chief duo amassed 37 victories together, including the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship. Besides that, they made the coveted Championship 4 on five occasions.

So when Spire announced that they were letting Childers go, Kevin Harvick was surprised. Addressing his feelings in the latest episode of his 'Happy Hour' podcast, the Bakersfield, California, native, said (via HarvickHappyHour's X handle):

“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.”

Childers was replaced by Ryan Sparks (Spire’s director of competition) as the interim crew chief for Justin Haley, driver of the No. 7 Chevy Camaro ZL1. As of now, where Childers goes is unclear.

“It'll be interesting to see how everybody moves on. As you look at Rodney and his credentials, hopefully... he winds up somewhere that'll really make a difference because I think he can. He's got the credibility and history of results,” Kevin Harvick added.

NASCAR is now headed to the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Last year, Denny Hamlin won the event, marking his third victory of the season. This year, the race is scheduled for Sunday, May 4.

The 267-lap, point-paying race will be televised on Fox Sports 1 from 3:30 pm ET onwards. Fans can also listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Kevin Harvick backs Team Penske ace amid reigning Cup champ’s 'dumba*s' claims

Austin Cindric won last week’s race at Talladega, marking his inaugural win of 2025. But that was only after Bubba Wallace had picked up the Stage 2 victory. Reigning series champion and Cindric’s teammate, Joey Logano, was furious as Cindric had allegedly given Wallace the push that he was supposed to give Logano.

At the end of the stage, as the drivers were racing towards the finish line, Logano expected Cindric to join him in the draft. Cindric lifted instead, allowing Wallace to drive to victory. This is what Logano radioed to his team at the time (via NASCAR's X handle):

“Way to go, Austin. Way to go. You dumb f---. Way to f---ing go," Logano said, angered. "What a stupid s---. He just gave it to him. Gave Toyota a stage win. Nice job. Way to go. What a dumba*s."

Kevin Harvick didn’t agree with the way Logano assessed the situation. Talking about it on his podcast, the NASCAR vet said (via Newsweek):

“It looked to me like there was so much momentum going forward that he had to pop out of line and put himself, you know, in a spot where he wasn't just going to ram into the back of the No. 22 (Logano).”

“I felt like there were a couple cars behind him pushing, and a lot of times what happens in that scenario is, if you just try to hit the car in front of you, then it stacks you up, and you're already being pushed, then sometimes it spits you out and spins you out,” Kevin Harvick further explained.

All said and done, Cindric is now locked into the 2025 playoffs, thanks to his win at the 2.66-mile racetrack in Lincoln, Alabama. He joined Josh Berry as the second driver from the Ford camp to make the postseason that kicks off at Darlington Raceway on August 31.