In 1969, a then-unknown native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the infamous inaugural race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Over 56 years later, Richard Childress, 80, is one of the most decorated individuals in NASCAR history. After competing in 285 Cup Series races as a driver, Childress has won six Cup Series championships and six NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly the NASCAR Xfinity Series) championships as a car owner.
Childress has devoted nearly 60 years of his life to NASCAR racing and was even inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.
That’s why text messages that surfaced on Friday as a part of the anti-trust case between 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR are so disheartening to read.
In the messages, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps called Childress a “stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR” and said that Childress needed “to be taken out back and flogged” after an August 2023 interview on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio where Childress expressed doubts that NASCAR’s new media deal would be an overall positive.