Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris Releases Blistering Letter Blasting NASCAR For Texts About Richard Childress

Brutal.

In case you somehow missed it, NASCAR has been in court the past week and a half defending themselves from an antitrust lawsuit filed by two teams, 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

The antitrust lawsuit accuses NASCAR of using unlawful conduct to protect its monopoly on premier stock car racing, with the teams taking issue with (among other things) the charter deal offered by the series back in 2024 and the fact that NASCAR owns the majority of the tracks it races at, while having exclusivity agreements with those tracks to prevent a viable competitor series from forming.

It’s been an explosive couple of weeks, and at times has been pretty embarrassing for NASCAR and its executives.

Before the trial even started, text messages were revealed between NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps calling team owner Richard Childress a “stupid redneck” and that he needs to be “taken out back and flogged.”

And during the trial, Phelps and other NASCAR executives have been forced to face team owners like Childress and Joe Gibbs Racing President Heather Gibbs who testified that NASCAR “had a gun to their head” and forced them to sign a charter agreement that they felt was unfair by sending them an agreement and forcing them to sign it within hours while threatening to take their charters if they didn’t agree.

It’s a big mess for NASCAR, made worse by the fact that 23XI is owned by one of the most famous athletes in the world, Michael Jordan, who testified in the trial late last week.

No matter who wins, the lawsuit and trial have done serious damage to NASCAR’s public perception, especially after seeing communications from NASCAR executives that shows them seemingly working against – and insulting – the teams that it relies on week in and week out to put on a show.

But now, even the sponsors are speaking out.

Johnny Morris, the CEO and co-founder of Bass Pro Shops, just released a blistering letter calling out Phelps and NASCAR leadership for the way they talk about those in the sport, especially their comments on Richard Childress:

“As I write this today, way too many of my fellow teammates, our valued customers, our independent dealers and respected members of the conservation and military communities… are outraged by how Richard and his family have been treated by some senior NASCAR leaders.

We are extremely upset by the recent disclosure of shockingly offensive and false criticisms of Richard by the Commissioner of NASCAR Steve Phelps. For the Commissioner and his allies, to attack one of the pillars of the sport is incredibly irresponsible and a disservice to everyone involved in NASCAR and its partners, sponsors and fans…

The commissioner has repeatedly labeled Richard as “an idiot,” a “dinosaur,” “a stupid redneck” and a “clown.” The fact is Richard Childress has done as much to build and promote NASCAR as anyone in the history of the sport! The commissioner, in all his rant, has only managed to bring discredit to himself and the sport.”

Morris didn’t come out and say it, but it sounds like he’s strongly suggesting that NASCAR needs to fire Steve Phelps, calling his comments a threat to the sport:

“Many of our teammates have validly expressed concern that the commissioner’s recently revealed contempt for Richard Childress makes it abundantly clear that he and his lieutenants are not capable of being fair and objective when it comes to impartially enforcing the rules and regulations that govern the sport, including the objective assessment of fines and penalties. This is a threat to the very integrity of the sport.”

Of course sponsors are the lifeblood of NASCAR: Everything is sponsored, from the teams themselves to the gas that they use to the white flag lap of the race. And Bass Pro Shop is one of the biggest sponsors that NASCAR has. They not only sponsor the #3 car for Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon, but also the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing car of Chase Briscoe, as well as the annual night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

You’ve got to think that of everybody who’s spoken out against NASCAR, a major sponsor like Bass Pro probably scares and upsets the sport’s leadership more than just about anybody, because implicit in the criticism is the threat of pulling their sponsorship from the sport. And once one sponsor leaves, it’s only going to create a domino effect that could seriously damage NASCAR.

It’s nice to see Morris speaking up, not only for his friend but for the sport, after the embarrassing texts from NASCAR leadership. Throughout this whole trial, it’s looked to me like NASCAR leadership sits in their ivory tower and rules with an iron fist, and that they need a reminder of where their priorities should be.