Gifts for NASCAR Fans
NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps is set to “step away” from his post at the end of the month, bringing his short yet somewhat controversial time as Commissioner to an end.
Phelps announced his resignation Tuesday morning in a statement released to NASCAR.com, saying that he is turning his focus to “pursuits in sports and other industries.”
Though his resignation is surprising, it’s not entirely unforeseen following a controversial past few months for the long-time NASCAR Executive.
In late November, amidst the then ongoing lawsuit between 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR, the court released text messages from 2023 that showed Phelps calling legendary team owner Richard Childress a “stupid redneck“ who “owes his entire fortune to NASCAR.”
Following their release, these text messages blew up in Phelps’ face, with many fans and former NASCAR drivers upset with his comments. Later that same week, Childress went as far as to claim that he was considering a legal action regarding the Commissioner’s comments.
The controversy surrounding his messages continued as the lawsuit went to trial.
On December 10, one day before the end of the trial, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris sent a scathing letter to NASCAR. In this letter, Morris, a long-time friend of Childress, grills Phelps, saying, “The commissioner, in all his rant, has only managed to bring discredit to himself and the sport.”
In their press release, NASCAR did not claim that Phelps’ resignation was in relation to these text messages and the controversy that followed their public release, saying he “made the personal decision to step away from the company and his role.”
Despite his swift exit as Commissioner, Phelps’ time as NASCAR President, which came to an end earlier this year when Steve O’Donnell took over that role, will be remembered for several major moments and milestones for the sport.
Some of these moments include, but are not limited to, NASCAR’s 2020 resurgence amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the introduction of the NASCAR Next Gen Car in 2022, NASCAR’s first Street race in 2023, and the 2025 media rights deal that brought NASCAR to streaming and back to TNT.
As of press time, NASCAR has yet to announce a new Commissioner, with the sport stating, “There are no immediate plans to replace the Commissioner role or to seek outside leadership, as the administration of his responsibilities will be delegated internally through NASCAR’s President and executive leadership team.”
Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
