“F— the teams, dictatorship, motorsport, redneck, southern, tiny sport.” Those were the explosive words NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell fired off in a leaked 2023 message. It shook the industry when they surfaced in September and exposed just how strained the relationship between NASCAR leadership and race teams had become. At the time, many believed that was the peak of the NASCAR lawsuit drama. It couldn’t possibly get uglier than this, right?

But now, with a fresh wave of leaked messages tied to NASCAR executive Steve Phelps, the situation has grown even more volatile. And according to a NASCAR insider, the damage runs far deeper than fans realize. Because behind closed doors, NASCAR isn’t just frustrated but is hurt where it pains the most.

A lawsuit crisis that’s cutting deeper tha

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