Tensions in NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit have boiled over as it heads to trial on December 1 without a settlement in sight. And to add to the adversity, leaked internal texts from NASCAR’s top executives have exposed their raw disdain for smaller teams by painting them as burdens rather than partners in the sport’s growth.

Matt Tifft, driver and former team owner, didn’t hold back in a raw YouTube breakdown of the 2022 texts targeting his old team, Live Fast Motorsports. The team was formed in 2021 with B. J. McLeod after Tifft’s racing career stalled from a brain tumor in 2019. The team survived on minimum resources with just 12 workers and millions in personal loans to field a Cup car.

Matt Tifft unleashes fury over leaked texts

Despite the efforts of the co-owners, NASCAR executives Scott Miller and John Probst dismissed their hardships by stating they were “sucking on the teets (teats) of the governing body” and ready to “make more babies LOL,” implying they were leeches rather than passionate team builders.

“This really fu–ing pisses me off. I’m not going to lie,” Tifft vented.

His voice carried the weight of years of unseen hustle. He explained the disconnect that, without deep pockets, small teams can’t invest like big teams and have to rely on alliances for data or driver cash for up-to-date engines.

“I worked very, very hard to get our sponsorships and partnerships.” He added, “We did not have enough money to go invest back into our race team to go run competitively. When we did, whether that be a driver come with funding or a large sponsor come in with funding.”

Tifft slammed the executive words, as his statement shows how hard a smaller team has to work to gather funds from sponsors to keep the car at least competitive on the field.

The leaked texts are now part of broader lawsuit evidence where NASCAR execs mock mid-tier teams like Rick Ware Racing. These mockings will add fuel to the demand for reform in a sport where charters pay teams just $141,000 per race, whereas the Jim France family earns soaring money, like their 2023 income, which was more than $500 million.

The sting echoes industry-wide, as NASCAR vet Mark Martin weighed in on a similar remark, like Steve Phelps calling Richard Childress a “stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.”

“This has been going on in the sport I love. I’m just disappointed all the way around,” Martin posted on X.

A veteran with 40 cup victories, Martin raced under pre-charter eras, which were pretty unstable. But after the introduction of the charter system, he thought the sports would thrive. But those dreams of Martin now feel like a long shot thanks to these leaks.

His words show how such bad words about a team erode trust and might potentially kill the unity needed for media deals and growth, especially with private equity eyeing NASCAR.

These owner outcries signal deeper cracks, but not everyone’s reaction stops at anger; some find cold comfort in the truth coming out.

Tommy Joe Martins feels validated by ugly leaks

Tommy Joe Martins, co-owner of Xfinity’s Alpha Prime Racing team, has fielded cars on tight budgets without the financial safety nets big operations enjoy. His squad runs three entries, scraping points in a series where field fillers fight for every dollar. When the messages dropped, Martins didn’t rage; he exhaled in satisfaction at seeing proof of his long-held gut feelings about league attitudes toward scrappers like him.

“Every text from everyone involved just confirms everything I’ve felt for 10+ years,” Martins shared on X, his tone a mix of relief and resolve.

He was an advocate against financial inequalities in sports since 2016. The leaks, tying into demands for 45% media revenue cuts and evergreen charters, validate his push for change in a system where small teams fuel diversity but get sidelined and mocked.

“I wasn’t just dreaming it up. It was actually happening,” he added.

As a Georgia native who started in karts and hit Cup spots occasionally, Martins knows the “heat of the battle” all too well. Yet these leaked exchanges reflect a power structure where rigid top execs created a culture of distrust, which has prevented new ideas from being developed.

For NASCAR’s execs, it’s high time that they see and respect small teams as an integral part of the sport, who bring their own hardships and passion to it, to ultimately make the sport more profitable for everyone.