Longtime NASCAR team owner Richard Childress is considering legal action after a series of disparaging texts got leaked amid the ongoing lawsuit. The texts showed Phelps calling Childress a “stupid redneck.” NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps said the 80-year-old automotive tycoon should be “flogged.”The texts are from 2023. As reported by The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, Childress had said something critical about NASCAR during a radio appearance. And Phelps, who was NASCAR’s president at the time, allegedly passed the comment on Childress while texting Brian Herbst, NASCAR’s chief media and revenue officer.Richard Childress is one of the most successful team owners in the history of the sport. His team flaunts 16 championships and 200 victories across NASCAR's top three series. This includes multiple Daytona 500 wins, multiple Brickyard 400 victories, and an Indy Road Course triumph.As reported by Claire B. Lang on X (formerly Twitter), Childress was deeply disappointed about Phelps’s comments. Here is the official team statement on the matter:“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.”“Mr. Childress and the organization will issue no further statements regarding these or other defamatory text messages that have recently surfaced, as legal action is being contemplated and discussed with legal counsel."Currently, Richard Childress Racing fields two full-time cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of them, the No. 8, is driven by two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, and the other, the No. 3, is driven by Childress’s own grandson, Austin Dillon. His other grandson, Ty Dillon, races full-time for Kaulig Racing, which also shares an alliance with RCR.Former Richard Childress Racing driver claps back at NASCAR executive’s alleged “redneck” comment with merch releaseFollowing the text message controversy between NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing, Matt Tifft went on X and announced the release of his new “STUPID REDNECK” t-shirts. In another video, he took a sarcastic hit at NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps for his “redneck” comments about team owner Richard Childress.Tifft, a former co-owner of Live Fast Motorsports and former Richard Childress Racing driver, wrote in his post,“Are you a stupid redneck?, well boy do I have a shirt for you 🤣”Through the second video posted by Mansfield Speedway, Tifft even shared a few screenshots of the texts where Phelps calls Childress a “stupid redneck who owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.” Urging the viewers to get their hands on the t-shirts at TheSpeedway.com, Tifft said,“Are you somebody who has been personally victimized by a large racing sanctioning body who claims that you are a stupid redneck who cannot read? Well, boy o boy do I have the thing just for you.”Richard Childress Racing is set to return to NASCAR racing in 2026, which happens to be the sport’s 78th year of operation. The first race of the 2026 NASCAR season is the Cup Series Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, scheduled for February 1, 2026.