NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps has resigned following backlash over the controversial texts he sent last year.
Phelps was made NASCAR’s first commissioner last year, but now says he will leave at the end of the month, before the start of the 2026 season, according to ESPN.
The resignation follows the release of some of the texts he sent to NASCAR leadership during the vetting process.
In one text, for instance, Phelps supposedly called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress “a stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”
The text’s revelation prompted Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris to call for Phelps’ resignation.
Morris blasted Phelps and NASCAR over the texts.
“We can’t help but wonder what
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