“He’s a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.” That’s what NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps said about Richard Childress in a series of leaked messages that recently became public on social media. Childress, who is considered a legendary team owner in the stock car racing world, has helped NASCAR grow for decades, with his partnership with Dale Earnhardt being fondly remembered even years after the Intimidator’s death.

But just six days before the antitrust lawsuit trial begins on December 1, these 2023 messages have ignited outrage across the garage. Fans and Insiders are calling out the disrespect, especially since NASCAR still leans heavily on Dale Sr.’s image in promotions. And one former team owner tied it all together, insisting the sport can’t have it both ways.

Matt Tifft defends Childress, spotlights Dale Earnhardt’s legacy

It all started when a series of texts was disclosed as part of an ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports against NASCAR. In the messages, NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps said Childress “needs to be taken out back and flogged.” Naturally, many in the NASCAR community were outraged at the recent revelations, with former RCR driver and team owner Matt Tifft saying, “NASCAR is not as big as it is today without Dale Earnhardt. I don’t think anybody would argue with that. Everybody knows Dale Earnhardt.”

Tifft’s argument is very simple and logical: if NASCAR executives do not like Richard Childress and trash him behind closed doors, they should stop using the No. 3 car and Dale Earnhardt’s clips in ads to promote the sport. The duo of Dale Sr. and Childress were best friends, with ‘the Intimidator’ joining Richard Childress Racing in 1984 and winning 67 races and six titles together. Earnhardt’s success not only helped RCR grow, but it also helped the sport to gain worldwide popularity in the 1980s and 1990s.

Tifft countered the remark about Childress owing everything to the sport by stating, “Richard Childress, one of the most legendary car owners in NASCAR, is a stupid redneck who should be taken out back and beaten and owes his entire fortune to racing. Richard Childress also has other businesses with tons of government contracts. He owns wineries. He has an engine shop. There’s a lot of other business, by the way.”

Tifft pointed out the income sources of Childress other than from NASCAR, like a prominent winery named Childress Vineyards in Lexington, North Carolina. The team owner also has an engine shop named ECR Engine, which is a high-performance engine production company located on the Richard Childress Racing campus in Welcome, North Carolina.

He also highlighted how Dale Sr.’s fearless style and black No. 3 made NASCAR a household name, something that NASCAR still cashes in on today. For Tifft, who built Live Fast Motorsports on a very limited budget by taking personal loans, these texts show a lack of respect for everyone who pours their heart and life into the sport.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin also weighed in with his take, clearly let down by the whole situation. “This has been going on in the sport I love. I’m just disappointed all the way around. There were plenty of problems before Charters and the RTA, but I’m not sure how you ever fix all this now,” Martin posted on X. With decades in the garage, Martin knows charter fights and team tensions go way back.

The disrespectful messages hurt Mark Martin the most. He pointed out that the tensions between the team and NASCAR were always there, but the respect was there, too, and these text messages are anything but respectful to team owners. The backlash didn’t stop with words. Richard Childress Racing stepped up with a sharp response that has everyone talking.

RCR blasts executives, demands legal action

Richard Childress Racing released a strong statement slamming the leaked comments as insensitive and defamatory. “RCR and Richard Childress are deeply disappointed by the insensitive and defamatory statements made about Mr. Childress in recently surfaced text messages between NASCAR executives Steve Phelps and Brian Herbst,” the team said.

They added that these words reflect years of mistreatment toward owners who have given everything to build NASCAR for fans and sponsors. And especially Richard Childress, who has not been happy with how NASCAR is working and has been vocal about it for years. For example, Childress even appealed a penalty decision against Austin Dillon made by NASCAR.

The team made it clear they’re done talking publicly for now. “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 stated.

With Childress identifying closely with hardworking fans, the statement from RCR hit home, and the threat of a lawsuit adds even more pressure heading into next week’s trial.