Dale Earnhardt is a legendary icon of NASCAR. Having clinched 7 Cup Series championships and 76 Cup race trophies, he is an exemplar of peak stock car racing. And Richard Childress played a pivotal role in elevating Earnhardt to success. Earnhardt’s colleague is facing a storm, as a string of text messages between NASCAR executives came out. And this may be another blow for NASCAR’s defense in the ongoing lawsuit trial.

Richard Childress’ former sponsor takes a side

“The fact is Richard Childress has done as much to build and promote NASCAR as anyone in the history of the sport! The commissioner, in all his rant, has only managed to bring discredit to himself and the sport,” Bass Pro Shops’ recent statement read. “The commissioner’s recently revealed contempt for Richard Childress makes it abundantly clear that he and his lieutenants are not capable of being fair and objective when it comes to impartially enforcing the rules and regulations.” It also read, “Such a commissioner most likely wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, keep his or her job for very long!”

This scathing attack on NASCAR’s executives came from Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops. 28 years ago, the sporting goods retailer struck a sponsorship bond with Richard Childress and Dale Earnhardt Sr. Their first race together was the 1998 All-Star Race. There, Earnhardt ran a gold-painted No. 3 car. Bass Pro Shops has also sponsored Dale Earnhardt Jr., who used the company’s colors in his Late Model endeavors.

Considering this long-standing bond, Bass Pro Shops is certainly not happy with NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps’ leaked comments. Phelps, in communication with Brian Herbst, Chief Media and Revenue Officer, called Richard Childress many distasteful things. Those ranged from ‘a stupid redneck’ to a ‘dinosaur’. And Phelps also wrote that Childress “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”

Johnny Morris’ statement continued, “It is painful for all fans to watch the current conflict and division occurring within the sport we love. We hope the France family and team owners will reflect carefully on the damage that’s being done to NASCAR in the ongoing dispute and dig deep and strive hard for a compromise. We’re cheering for a prompt and fair resolution that creates a positive path to a happy and long-term future for the founding family, team owners, and most importantly, the fans.”

Bass Pro Shops does not sponsor Richard Childress anymore. And the latter is indeed in dire straits.

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Sustained only by off-NASCAR ventures

The basis of Michael Jordan’s Antitrust lawsuit has been financial. However, the figures that have been revealed so far expose far deeper struggles than fans anticipated. Bob Jenkins, for instance, admitted to losing $6.8 million per season. Richard Childress is also in a similar situation, as he admitted to plans of selling a 60% stake of Richard Childress Racing, a team he founded in 1969. Childress confirmed that his business affairs have yielded 55 straight years of EBITA — an economics term that shows a company’s operational profitability before interest, taxes, and other processes.

However, Childress also admitted that he may have gone broke if he had relied just on his NASCAR enterprise. His other businesses include ECR Engines, a high-performance combustion engine development and production company. Then there is RCR Manufacturing Solutions, which produces weapons and vehicles for the military. Both profitable businesses operate on the Richard Childress Racing campus in Welcome, North Carolina. Childress also owns a vineyard in Lexington.

Nevertheless, Richard Childress’s old NASCAR sponsor stood up for him. Let’s wait and see what impact it makes on the NASCAR trial.