In text messages produced through fact discovery as part of the 23XI Race And Motor sports at the forefront In NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit, the league commissioner made clear how little professional respect he appears to have for the team’s veteran owner, Richard Childress.
During a meeting with the team’s owners in 2023, Phelps was receiving text updates from the league’s director of media and revenue, Brian Herbst, and took several photos of the six-time Cup Series championship-winning owner.
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That meeting was part of the charter extension contract negotiations, with Phelps and Herbst hoping to possibly illustrate how potentially perilous the next sports broadcast rights deal could be unless there is industry unity over the next decade.
Herbst was providing an update on the meeting and, as the document below shows, Phelps repeatedly insulted Childress.
Texts from Steve Phelps repeatedly insulting Richard Childress by mattweavermedia
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“Chilress is an idiot. If they don’t like the state of the sport, sell your charter and leave.”
“Did I mention Childress was an idiot?”
“If he’s that angry (and apparently he is), sign your charter extension and sell. He’s not smart, he’s a dinosaur and a malcontent. He’s worth a few hundred million dollars – every dollar associated with NASCAR in one way or another. A total clown.”
“We need to take Childress out and whip him. He’s a stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to Nascar.”
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