Kenny Wallace Reveals the Only Way NASCAR Can Make Amends After Leaked Chats About Richard Childress

Nov 1, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR team owner Richard Childress during the Xfinity Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway.

A fresh storm has been stirred up after the revelation of derogatory text messages from NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps targeting Richard Childress. These texts were exchanged between Phelps and NASCAR VP Brian Herbst back in 2023 and refer to Childress as “a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR” and that he needed to be “flogged.”

Childress is one of the most iconic veterans of the sport and is truly respected across motorsports. To speak of him in this manner hasn’t sat well with many. In a latest development, Richard Childress Racing has come out and confirmed that it is contemplating legal action for this insult. Without a question, this is a mess that NASCAR will be desperate to get out of. But how?

Former driver Kenny Wallace has the answer. He said on his YouTube show, “First thing you have to do is get on your jet and fly up to Welcome, North Carolina, and get a meeting with Richard Childress. And it would probably be best if our leader, Jim France, did that. Starts at the very top. And then while you’re at it, Jim, you might want to bring along Steve Phelps.”

“Oh, yeah. Bring along Steve O’Donnell and have a little meeting with him. But then you’re also going to have to do all this in front of the cameras.”

Wallace continued to point out that at the time, when O’Donnell controversially said that NASCAR was going to sacrifice its old fans for new ones, and underlined that damage control meant having a press conference with everybody.

Richard Childress Racing issues statement

After the texts between Phelps and Herbst came out, it was obvious that Richard Childress Racing wouldn’t let things sit easily. As expected, the team lashed out with a seething statement. 

The statement read, “These comments reflect the way certain NASCAR executives have historically viewed and treated many team owners like Mr. Childress, who have devoted their lives to strengthening the sport for its fans, its sponsors, and all who compete in it.”

The tricky part about all this for NASCAR is that the trial date of December 1 for its antitrust lawsuit battle against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports is fast approaching. To have this complication now adds a mountain of pressure to it.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Kenny Wallace Richard Childress

About the author

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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