“This is going to be wild”: Insider says Richard Childress to testify a week after NASCAR president’s explosive private texts 

Richard Childress is all set to take the witness stand in the antitrust trial. The move comes after NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps's defamatory remarks against Childress emerged during the discovery process.

Phelps didn't hold back in his private texts about Childress. The NASCAR chief called the team owner a 'stupid redneck' who should be 'taken out back and flogged'.

The expletive-filled remark created uproar among the NASCAR community, as Childress himself is contemplating a lawsuit over the matter. The team released an official statement condemning the commissioner's actions. That said, Childress joins a long list of team owners set to provide witness testimony.

Hosts of The Teardown podcast, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck, revealed the development on their latest episode.

"NASCAR told the judge that 23XI and Front Row are going to be calling Richard Childress as one of their witnesses. So, we're going to get Richard Childress on the stand being called by the plaintiffs," Gluck said. [41:33 onwards]

"That is going to be wild. Who knows what Richard says? It's gonna be interesting to see other teams, Roger Penke's gonna be on the stand, Rick Hendrick's gonna be on the stand, Heather Gibbs is gonna be on the stand. Richard Childress is gonna be on the stand. Steve Newark from RFK, now the athletic director at UNC," Bianchi continued.

Steve Phelps recently addressed the controversy in an interview with NASCAR reporter Matt Weaver. According to Phelps, the texts were sent during a 'tense period of conversations' about the financials of NASCAR competition. He'd also reached out to Childress in anticipation of the text leak.

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Mark Martin stands by Richard Childress over defamatory remarks

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin recently commented on the Richard Childress controversy. In an episode of The Scene Vault podcast, Martin shared his displeasure over the leaks.

“To be real honest with you, 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,” he said.

Martin has a rocky history with Childress. He was a Roush Racing driver and went against RCR's Dale Earnhardt on many occasions. On the same podcast episode, the 66-year-old further revealed that he holds a grudge against Childress for derailing his 1990 title fight. Despite the malicious actions, Martin feels Phelps' comments were inappropriate.

RCR currently fields two Cup cars with two-time champion Kyle Busch and Childress' grandson, Austin Dillon. The latter recently won at Richmond Raceway, but Busch has gone two years without a win. As such, Jim Pohlman joins the No.8 team as the new crew chief for 2026.