NASCAR president Steve Phelps is in the eye of a storm after leaked internal conversations revealed his blunt and abrasive remarks about team owner Richard Childress, whom he labeled “dumba**” in the texts. Fans have wasted no time calling for Phelps to step down, insisting the sport could not turn a blind eye to comments.
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One fan, stunned by Phelps’ choice of words toward the RCR owner, wrote, “In no sane universe does Steve Phelps talk that way about Richard Childress and get to keep his job.” The post opened the floodgates as others aired their frustrations as comments on the original post.
The chorus of outrage was symbolic of the escalating fallout. A fan pointed to the long-running tug-of-war between RTA and NASCAR while demanding Phelps’ exit.
“Of course, none of these people like each other between RTA/NASCAR and their fight for control of stock car racing. That being said, the way in which Phelps said that tells me he is the origin of the regret of redneck NASCAR fans that comes off. He has to go,” they wrote.
Another demanded Phelps’ immediate resignation as Commissioner of NASCAR, writing, “He better not keep his job. If he does, we boycott.”
A third fan added, “He would be lucky if he gets to keep his teeth. Where would NASCAR be today if not for Childress – let alone the black #3? Answer: It would have sold all its land to Amazon and Walmart for distribution centers a decade ago.”
Another X user expected chaos to be unleashed. “Sit back, crack open a beer, and watch. Lol,” they wrote.
In no sane universe does Steve Phelps talk that way about Richard Childress and get to keep his job.
— The Catch Fence ™ (@TheCatchFence) November 22, 2025
The text from Phelps stems from Childress’ comments on SiriusXM NASCAR in 2023, where he addressed charter negotiations. The longtime team owner had questioned the financial structure of the Next Gen model and wondered who truly stood to gain from a fresh media deal.
Childress had explained he could build 14 former Cup cars for what it costs to assemble seven Next Gen cars. When asked whether a new media package would prove beneficial, he had responded, “For who?”
During a meeting that same year with team owners, Phelps received text updates from NASCAR’s Chief Media & Revenue Officer, Brian Herbst, and they traded remarks while navigating tense charter-extension talks. Their aim was to highlight how delicate the broadcast-rights landscape could become without unanimous backing across the industry.
The screenshots shared by journalist Bob Pockrass on his X handle placed the exchanges in the public domain. Phelps had described Childress as a stumbling block in the texts: “Childress is an idiot. If they don’t like the state of the sport, sell your charter and get out,” followed by, “Did I mention Childress was an idiot?”
Phelps took things to another level by adding, “If he’s that angry [and apparently he is], sign your charter extension and sell. He’s not smart, is a dinosaur, and a malcontent. He’s worth a couple of hundred million dollars – every dollar associated with NASCAR in some fashion. Total a**-clown.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Another message read, “Childress needs to be taken out back and flogged. He’s a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.”
Sources stated that before the messages came to light, Phelps was told about it, and he had reached out to Childress to warn him that they would surface. Phelps justified the remarks as raw frustration from a period when discussions surrounding NASCAR’s economic structure stretched everyone thin, and tempers easily broke through the surface.
