“F— the teams, dictatorship, motorsport, redneck, southern, tiny sport.” That’s what NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell vented in a leaked 2023 message, capturing the behind-the-scenes talks NASCAR executives have about teams. As the antitrust suit by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports drags on, court files are revealing private texts that highlight sharp divides between teams and NASCAR officials. These leaked texts are either targeted towards small teams or rival series like the short-lived SRX. Fans can sense the unease building, with each disrespectful text eroding the trust between the team and NASCAR.

The messages paint a picture of upper executives clashing with team owners who built NASCAR’s legacy, leaving supporters bracing for more drama to come in the near future. Yet one set of texts stands out, aimed at a hall-of-fame figure, and this might threaten to divide the NASCAR community even more.

The insult that could tip the scales

In August 2023, during tense charter extension meetings, NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps texted Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst after updates on owner talks. The text was, “Childress needs to be taken out back and flogged. He’s a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.” This came right after Richard Childress voiced against NASCAR charter agreement negotiations, specifically the lack of financial transparency and the high cost of the Next Gen car parts. He later described the negotiation process as secretive and unfair to team owners on SiriusXM.

Richard Childress, who started his NASCAR team in 1969 and snagged six Cup titles with drivers like Dale Earnhardt, helped the sport become a household name during the 80s and 90s era. Naturally, the leaked messages didn’t sit well with fans.

These disrespectful remarks surfacing when the case is heading toward a December trial expose how executives get frustrated with team owners when they do not align with their ideas or deals. Such raw language also risks swaying the jury, painting NASCAR as a bully in a suit claiming monopoly control over entries and payouts.

Richard Childress Racing fired back swiftly, stating they were “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. These comments reflect the way certain NASCAR executives have historically viewed and treated many team owners like Mr. Childress, who have devoted their lives to strengthening the sport for its fans, its sponsors, and all who compete in it.”

Childress has been contributing to the world of stock car racing for over half a century, first as a driver and then as a team owner since 1981. So these comments about Childress will only land NASCAR’s image in more mud, much like the 2010s Jeremy Mayfield drug suit, which was not very effective but scarred trust.

With leaders under fire, the raw voices of fan forums tell a story of growing divide.

Echoes from the stands

Talk of past legal ghosts hit hard for one observer: “Seeing what has gone down this week has honestly made me a little bummed that Jeremy Mayfield‘s lawsuit got tossed out in the early 2010s. That would be an amazing alternate timeline to look at.”

Mayfield’s 2009 drug test dispute led to a 2012 dismissal after years of claims against NASCAR’s handling. That rejection from the court has demotivated drivers and team owners from voicing against the sanctioning body ever since. In this what-if world, stronger owner pushback in Mayfield’s case might have curbed today’s charter woes early.

“NASCAR is just in such a bad place at the moment. I keep up with it about once a week, and each week I find out about some stupid shit that they continue to do. This whole thing is just so ugly for the sport, even if the cause is good.” No wonder viewership dipped from 2.892 million in 2024 to 2.476 million in 2025. The recent ongoing turmoil in NASCAR is the cause for this dip, like the playoff format debate, broadcasting woes, lawsuit, and now these leaked text messages.

Even non-fans felt the disrespect for Childress, as one put it upfront: “Listen, I’m no Childress or RCR fan, but the dude deserves some modicum of respect. He’s given this sport a lot. I mean, sure, it’s made him unfathomably wealthy, but the dude deserves to at least not be called names. I can’t believe they’ve got me defending him.”

Childress’s net worth tops $250 million, and huge chunks of it is because of NASCAR. But if one looks from another perspective, he has poured decades of his life into this sport.

“It is worth noting that, as objectionable as this is, it is pretty much standard operating procedure for the France family and its associates. They have always taken the view, going back to Big Bill himself, that they don’t need you as a driver or team owner. You need them.” Founder Bill France Sr. shaped NASCAR in 1948 by centralizing control, a stance echoed in today’s charter locks, where teams have no other bigger power in the sport that they can go to for help and are left only with one option: legal help.

Finally, a chilling wrap-up lingered: “That’s probably only the tip of the iceberg.” With thousands of docs still sealed in the suit, whispers of more 2022-23 texts on rival threats like SRX hint at waves of fallout yet to crash.

These leaked texts will not do any good for the sports.