NASCAR tried to bury its dirty laundry behind closed doors.
But one federal judge just ripped open the vault and exposed everything.
And NASCAR Commissioner's vicious attack on Richard Childress just triggered a legal bombshell that has the entire sport on edge.
Text Messages Blow Lid Off NASCAR's Treatment of Legendary Team Owner
The antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR and two race teams was supposed to be about charters and business practices.
Nobody expected a federal court in North Carolina to unseal documents showing NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps calling one of the sport's most legendary team owners "a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR."¹
Richard Childress Racing announced it's considering legal action after text messages revealed the shocking disdain NASCAR executives have for the 80-year-old Hall of Famer who helped build the sport into what it is today.
"Childress needs to be taken out back and flogged," Phelps wrote in August 2023 to NASCAR chief media and revenue officer Brian Herbst.²
The messages came to light as exhibits in the ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR.
The teams are challenging NASCAR's charter system and business practices.
But the bombshell texts had nothing to do with the teams filing the lawsuit.
They exposed how NASCAR's top brass really feel about team owners who dare question their authority.
Phelps Kept the Insults Coming After Childress Spoke His Mind
Childress made the fatal mistake of appearing on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in 2023 and saying the Next Gen car hadn't saved teams money like NASCAR promised.
He also questioned whether the new media rights deal would actually benefit teams.
That's all it took to set Phelps off like a bomb.
"Did I mention that Childress is an idiot?" Phelps texted to Herbst.³
Herbst responded that he'd listened to Childress's radio appearance and agreed: "He is an idiot."⁴
Phelps wasn't done.
He called Childress "not smart," a "dinosaur," a "malcontent," and an "ass-clown" worth "a couple hundred million dollars — every dollar associated with NASCAR in some fashion."⁵
The contempt dripping from every word is unmistakable.
This wasn't a momentary frustration.
This was pure hatred toward a man who's given his entire life to NASCAR.
Childress Built NASCAR Into a Powerhouse With Dale Earnhardt
Richard Childress started Richard Childress Racing in 1969 after NASCAR President William France Sr. needed replacement drivers during a strike at Talladega Superspeedway.
He raced 285 times as a driver before retiring in 1981 to focus on team ownership.
His partnership with Dale Earnhardt from 1984 to 2001 produced six championships, 67 wins, and some of the most legendary moments in NASCAR history.
Earnhardt's black No. 3 Chevrolet became the most iconic car in American motorsports.
After Earnhardt's tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500, Childress made a public pledge that the No. 3 would never again appear on a black car with GM Goodwrench sponsorship.
Kevin Harvick took over driving duties and eventually won the 2014 championship for RCR.
Childress currently fields cars for his grandson Austin Dillon and former champion Kyle Busch.
The team has 16 championships across NASCAR's three national series and more than 200 victories.
Every single dollar of that success came through NASCAR — which is exactly what Phelps threw in Childress's face.
The Bigger Picture Shows NASCAR Executives Operating Like Tyrants
Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson also got exposed in the leaked messages.
He called Childress "a cuck" for inviting President Donald Trump to his pit box during a 2024 race.⁶
NASCAR executives Steve Phelps and Steve O'Donnell were caught in another set of messages expressing "deathly" fear about the now-defunct SRX Racing Series competing for viewers and drivers.⁷
The texts reveal NASCAR leadership views team owners as servants who should shut up and do what they're told.
Anyone who questions the France family's absolute control gets branded as stupid, disloyal, or worse.
Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin — one of NASCAR's most respected figures — said he was "disappointed" after seeing the messages.⁸
"It was Martin and other 'stupid rednecks' like Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and so many others who made the France family rich beyond their desires," one report noted.⁹
The teams and drivers built NASCAR into a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
Now executives who never turned a single lap act like they own the sport and everyone in it.
Richard Childress Racing's statement made clear this isn't over.
"Mr. Childress and the organization will issue no further statements regarding these or other defamatory text messages that have recently surfaced, as legal action is being contemplated and discussed with legal counsel," RCR announced.¹⁰
Phelps admitted at Phoenix Raceway that "there are things that Steve and I said that we would like not to have made public."¹¹
Too late.
The cat's out of the bag.
And Richard Childress — the man who helped make NASCAR — just might take these arrogant executives to court and make them explain to a jury why they think he's a "stupid redneck" who should be "flogged."
¹ Bob Pockrass, "Richard Childress Considers Legal Action Over NASCAR Messages," FOX Sports, November 24, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Josh Wilfong, "NASCAR Team Owner Calls Richard Childress A 'Cuck' For Hosting Donald Trump," Whiskey Riff, November 24, 2025.
⁷ Bob Pockrass, "What To Know About NASCAR Antitrust Lawsuit," FOX Sports, November 24, 2025.
⁸ Jacob Seelman, "Mark Martin Disappointed by 'Stupid Redneck' Comments from NASCAR Lawsuit," On3, November 22, 2025.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Bob Pockrass, "Richard Childress Considers Legal Action Over NASCAR Messages," FOX Sports, November 24, 2025.
¹¹ Ibid.
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