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Mark Martin reacts to 'stupid redneck' comments from NASCAR lawsuit

JHby: Jonathan Howard11/23/25Jondean25

It feels like Pandora’s Box has started to open. Mark Martin has caught wind of Steve Phelps’ “stupid redneck” comments and isn’t happy. Martin, one of the most respected and talented drivers ever in NASCAR, was disappointed by the exchange.

In text messages released as exhibits in the NASCAR lawsuit, Commissioner Steve Phelps commented on Richard Childress back in 2023. In a text thread with current NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell and a third redacted person, Phelps hit Childress hard.

Phelps characterized Childress as a “stupid redneck,” an “idiot,” and said Childress should be “taken out back and flogged.”

This morning, Mark Martin finally saw the text messages online. His response was one of disappointment.

“This has been going on in the sport I love,” Martin posted. “I’m just disappointed all the way around. There were plenty of problems before Charters and the RTA but I’m not sure how you ever fix all this now.”

In a follow-up, Mark Martin also commented on the messages from NASCAR executives about the SRX Series. Again, disappointment.

“Just so disappointing,” Martin wrote. “We should be giving people who love Motorsports more of what they love and maybe the sport would grow and bring in more fans of all ages.”

During his career, Mark Martin helped make NASCAR what it is today. He helped bring the sport into the mainstream. It was Martin and other “stupid rednecks” like Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and so many others who made the France family rich beyond their desires. But it is clear that there is a certain lack of respect within NASCAR leadership for those they deem lesser.

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It is unfortunate to see such comments made by NASCAR leadership. As Mark Martin said, there really isn’t much else but to be disappointed. NASCAR has made good moves in terms of pulling itself away from the negative connotations that “redneck” has for the sport. But the overall working-class nature and history of the sport is still there.

Rednecks are still in the sport. They just have engineering degrees and things like that, now, too. For Steve Phelps to use redneck as a pejorative, against a team owner who has dedicated his life to NASCAR and gave it its biggest star and is worth hundreds of millions…if THAT guy can be called a redneck, what does Phelps think of the fans in the stands who are worth whatever their home costs?

What about those who don’t own property? What does he think about the crews, officials, workers at the tracks, and those who make his whole thing go? That is the major concern. A genuine concern that Mark Martin has and a lot of fans have. If the disconnect between leadership and team owners is as wide as it appears, then the disconnect to fans is even greater than anyone knew before.