Bass Pro Shops CEO Challenges NASCAR Leadership Integrity Over Disparaging Texts
Daytona Beach, Thursday, 11 December 2025.
Billionaire sponsor Johnny Morris suggests removing NASCAR’s commissioner after unsealed messages revealed leadership called team owner Richard Childress a “stupid redneck” and suggested he be flogged.
Discovery Unveils Corporate Rift
While the motorsports world recently digested the news of the settlement ending the federal antitrust trial between NASCAR and 23XI Racing, the legal discovery process has triggered a secondary, perhaps more volatile, corporate crisis. Documents unsealed during that litigation have exposed internal communications that are now threatening the sport’s relationship with one of its most loyal financial partners [1]. Johnny Morris, the billionaire founder of Bass Pro Shops, issued a scathing open letter on 9 December 2025, condemning NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps for disparaging remarks made about team owner Richard Childress [2]. The controversy centers on text messages exchanged between Phelps and Chief Media & Revenue Officer Brian Herbst, in which the Commissioner referred to Childress as a “stupid redneck,” an “idiot,” and a “dinosaur” [1][2].
Unsealed Contempt
The private communications, which surfaced during the discovery phase of the antitrust lawsuit brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, revealed a level of personal animosity that Morris argues compromises the sanctioning body’s integrity [1][2]. In one particularly inflammatory exchange, the leadership suggested that Childress, a Hall of Fame owner, should be “taken out back and flogged” [1][2]. Under oath, Phelps admitted to sending the message, acknowledging he was “not proud of” the language and stating he has since apologized [1]. However, for Morris, whose company has sponsored Richard Childress Racing (RCR) since 1998, the apology appears insufficient given the depth of the disrespect shown toward a man he describes as a “pillar of the sport” [1].
Alienating the Core Audience
The fallout extends beyond a personal feud between executives; Morris framed the insults as a broader attack on the demographic Childress represents. He characterized the derogatory “redneck” labeling as “shockingly offensive and false,” interpreting it as an affront to the conservation community and the millions of hunters and anglers who view Childress as a hero [2]. This cultural disconnect between NASCAR’s corporate leadership in Daytona and its traditional base is precisely the type of friction that alienates core sponsors [2]. Bass Pro Shops currently sponsors the No. 3 car driven by Austin Dillon and the No. 19 car of Chase Briscoe, making Morris a critical financial stakeholder in the garage [2]. His warning to the France family—the owners of NASCAR—was explicit: leadership “must never turn their back on, or abandon, the true pioneers” of the sport [2].
Calls for Accountability
In his letter, Morris contended that the revealed contempt renders Phelps and his lieutenants incapable of “impartially enforcing the rules and regulations that govern the sport” [1]. He escalated the confrontation by questioning Phelps’ tenure as Commissioner, drawing parallels to other professional sports leagues where “such a commissioner most likely wouldn’t, or shouldn’t keep his or her job for very long” after such revelations [1]. As the dust settles on the antitrust litigation, NASCAR faces a new battle for its “soul,” forcing the France family to decide if they can repair the breach of trust with high-profile partners while the current leadership remains in place [2].