NASCAR commish called Richard Childress a 'stupid redneck'

NASCAR Xfinity Series team owner Richard Childress. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Commissioner Steve Phelps calling Richard Childress a 'stupid redneck' a terrible look for NASCAR

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Nov 23, 2025 9:02 AM ET

In 1969, a then-unknown native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the infamous inaugural race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Over 56 years later, Richard Childress, 80, is one of the most decorated individuals in NASCAR history. After competing in 285 Cup Series races as a driver, Childress has won six Cup Series championships and six NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly the NASCAR Xfinity Series) championships as a car owner.

Childress has devoted nearly 60 years of his life to NASCAR racing and was even inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.

That's why text messages that surfaced on Friday as a part of the anti-trust case between 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR are so disheartening to read.

In the messages, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps called Childress a "stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR" and said that Childress needed "to be taken out back and flogged" after an August 2023 interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio where Childress expressed doubts that NASCAR's new media deal would be an overall positive.

In an exhibit of texts that the jury won’t get to see because would be used more as inflammatory are some texts showing Steve Phelps frustration over things Richard Childress said in August 2023. Texts are to VP Brian Herbst during/following a meeting (believe with some teams): pic.twitter.com/wWx6mAVuxY
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 22, 2025

Steve Phelps' comments are embarrassing

Childress has become a somewhat polarizing figure among NASCAR fans in recent years. After a pair of incidents involving RCR drivers Austin Dillon and Austin Hill in 2024 and 2025 — both drivers intentionally hooked their competitors in races at Richmond and Indianapolis, respectively — Childress maintained his drivers' innocence when no one else saw things the way he did.

But Childress has dedicated an incomprehensible amount of money and a vast amount of time to the sport of NASCAR racing, and it's a horrible look for NASCAR's commissioner to have talked about a figure in the sport such as Childress in such a manner.

Per Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, Phelps did talk with Childress prior to the public release of the messages to inform him that his feelings about Childress are not representative of what he wrote.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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