Steve Phelps will step down as NASCAR’s commissioner and leave the company after more than 20 years by the end of the month, the racing behemoth announced Tuesday.
Phelps had come under fire after inflammatory texts that he sent during contentious revenue-sharing negotiations with the organization’s racing teams came to light during NASCAR’s federal antitrust trial last month.
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In one such message sent to his leadership team, Phelps referred to Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress as an “idiot” and a “stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”
That prompted Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris — whose company is a longtime sponsor of NASCAR and some of its teams, including Richard Childress Racing — to release a scathing statement calling out Phelps for being “not capable of being fair and objective when it comes to impartially enforcing the rules and regulations that govern the sport.”
Morris also suggested that a hypothetical MLB commissioner who made such disparaging remarks about any baseball legend “most likely wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, keep his or her job for very long.”
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Weeks later, Phelps is set to leave NASCAR after working his way up from vice president of corporate marketing in 1995 to the newly created commissioner position last March.
“As a lifelong race fan, it gives me immense pride to have served as NASCAR’s first Commissioner and to lead our great sport through so many incredible challenges, opportunities and firsts over my 20 years,” Phelps said in a statement released by NASCAR.
“… As I embark on new pursuits in sports and other industries, I want to thank the many colleagues, friends and especially the fans that have played such an important and motivational role in my career. Words cannot fully convey the deep appreciation I have for this life-changing experience, for the trust of the France family and for having a place in NASCAR’s amazing history.”
NASCAR stated that it has no immediate plans to name a new commissioner. Phelps’ responsibilities will be delegated through the organization’s president, Steve O’Donnell, and its executive leadership team.
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“Steve will forever be remembered as one of NASCAR’s most impactful leaders,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “For decades, he has worked tirelessly to thrill fans, support teams, and execute a vision for the sport that has treated us all to some of the greatest moments in our nearly 80-year history. It’s been an honor to work alongside him in achieving the impossible … . Steve leaves NASCAR with a transformative legacy of innovation and collaboration with an unrelenting growth mindset.”
23XI Racing — which is owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and Jordan’s longtime business advisor Curtis Polk — and Front Row Motorsports, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, filed the antitrust lawsuit in the Western District of North Carolina.
The trial started Dec. 1 and was settled 10 days later, with NASCAR agreeing to grant all of its teams the permanent charters they had been seeking.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
