Overview
- Richard Childress Racing said it is consulting counsel and considering legal steps after texts showed Steve Phelps calling Childress a “stupid redneck” and saying he should be “taken out back and flogged.”
- RCR issued a statement expressing deep disappointment over what it called insensitive and defamatory remarks, adding that no further comments will be made while options are reviewed.
- The messages, exchanged in August 2023 between Phelps and NASCAR executive Brian Herbst during charter talks, were filed as court exhibits and ruled too inflammatory for jurors but remain public.
- Additional filings show leaders deriding smaller teams and a separate thread disparaging fans, alongside earlier exchanges attacking the SRX series, fueling calls for leadership resignations from fans and commentators.
- The leaks stem from discovery in the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports antitrust case over NASCAR’s charter and revenue system, with the legal effect of the messages still uncertain as trial approaches.