NASCAR legend Mark Martin has ripped into commissioner Steve Phelps, after a number of texts sent by Phelps were unsealed in the ongoing legal case between NASCAR and two of its teams.
A text exchange from 2023 revealed Phelps claiming that NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress should be 'taken out back and flogged', calling him a 'stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR'.
The exchange was between Phelps and Brian Herbst, NASCAR chief media and revenue officer, after a radio interview in which Childress criticized the Next Gen car and the then-ongoing media rights deal negotiations.
Phelps apologized to Childress prior to the publication of the messages, with Childress' team releasing a statement warning that they are considering legal action over 'these or other defamatory text messages that have recently surfaced'.
Martin: I was totally furious
Martin waded into the discussion on the Scene Vault podcast, calling Phelps' comments 'a bridge too far' and admitting he was furious with the NASCAR commissioner.
“To be real honest with you," he said, "I did become totally furious with the a** clown, you know, with him (Phelps) calling him (Childress) that is totally a bridge too far. I’m gonna stick here and defend Richard Childress because I have respect for everything he’s done in his career.”
The revealed messages are just a drop in the ocean of drama brought about by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports suing NASCAR, in a case which has now run for over a year.
The two sides are set to go to trial today (Monday, December 1) to settle the highly contentious case – which could have a huge impact on the sport, and both teams.
