The six-time Cup Series champion, Richard Childress, has built a NASCAR empire since 1969. However, a stunning admission in federal court on Day 7 of NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit suggests he might be ready to sell a piece of it, putting the future of his star driver, Kyle Busch, in serious jeopardy.

With him being the primary subject of derogatory language in former NASCAR President Steve Phelps’ leaked texts, Richard Childress was called to the witness box on Day 7 of the antitrust lawsuit. During the questioning, the sport’s attorney made him admit that the team was in talks to sell an equity stake, including his 60% share. Now, if this happens, it can cause trouble for the veteran Busch.

Kyle Busch moved to RCR in the 2023 season, when he delivered three strong victories. However, his Enjoy Illinois 300 win in June 2023 was the last. His performances over the last two seasons have been rather underwhelming. If the RCR management does change, it could mean two things for Busch…

First, the senior driver would lose a huge influence over the team, resulting in worse finishes in upcoming seasons. Second, if his performance didn’t improve, he might be pushed to sign with another team or potentially retire.

These potential outcomes might stem from a reason he provided earlier.

On Tuesday, Kyle Busch testified that he felt pressured to sign the 2024 charter agreement, the basis of Michael Jordan’s antitrust lawsuit. According to him, the charters added value to his team. However, the equity falls short of its financial scope if the charters were permanent.

Childress, too, supported the 2016 charter system when race teams “were worth 10 cents on the dollar at most. We didn’t have nothing.” However, he also claimed that “I would not have signed those charters if I was financially able to do what I do. We are a blue-collar operation.”

Now, Busch has a long-standing bond with Childress. But if the management were to change and be inclined toward the new charter system, Busch may have a fallout with them, putting his future in limbo.

It is no secret that RCR has struggled to perform in recent seasons, especially in the Cup Series. Only Dillon roped in a single victory in 2025, winning the Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway and defending his 2024 win. However, Richard Childress is himself gearing up for some controversy now. Meanwhile, the league itself is no longer safe from whispers either.

NASCAR for sale rumors gain momentum

For seventy-seven years, the France family has built NASCAR from dirt tracks to billion-dollar TV deals. However, the latest confessions in the courtroom have brought to light ideas that few had previously considered. One of them is NASCAR itself being sold.

“At least some NASCAR Cup Series teams would be interested in bidding to buy @NASCAR should the property ever be put up for sale, people familiar confirm, following Jonathan Marshall’s testimony Friday,” Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern wrote on X.

Last Friday in the Charlotte courtroom, Jonathan Marshall, the executive director of the Race Team Alliance, confirmed that if NASCAR ever went up for sale, some Cup teams would be interested in bidding for it.

NASCAR has been under the France family since Bill France Sr. started it in 1948. However, with the rise of LIV Golf and the Superstar Racing Experience, the whispers about the family finally leaving the wheel to someone else have increased. And the tag of $5 billion, the valuation Goldman Sachs put on NASCAR Holdings in 2023, according to the team’s lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, only makes it more real.

Apart from NASCAR teams, outside names have also made it to the conversations. These include big entertainment companies with sports portfolios, like Liberty Media or TKO Group Holdings. Right now, it’s all theory, but Marshall’s comment wasn’t a throwaway.

Now, Childress and Busch would think of their own future with Richard Childress Racing. It is unclear how Busch’s future might turn out without Richard Childress. However, if the 80-year-old did sell the equity stake, RCR could lose its identity that Childress has built over the course of about six decades. Meanwhile, NASCAR is vying to save itself.