So I was originally going to talk about something else, but given recent circumstances, I’ve given up on that. Due to my schedule, I write Friday Feature columns on Mondays. After I finished last week’s column, two stories happened. While it would have been easy to write about one of them, I decided it would be better to put some more time and effort into it.
I discussed the anti-trust lawsuit, and some of its fallout last week, and I stand by what I said. But one more bit of fallout happened, in that NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps resigned as a result of text messages sent concerning Richard Childress. According to ESPN.com:
“But the top executive at NASCAR was deeply bruised during the trial — and the discovery process leading into it — when communications he exchanged with top leadership was exposed. In one exchange, Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress “a stupid redneck” who “needs to be taken out back and flogged.”
That led Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, an ardent supporter of both NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing, to write a letter demanding Phelps’ removal as commissioner.
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NASCAR settled the lawsuit with 23XI Racing, owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins, the day after Morris’ letter.”
Even if Richard Childress is “a stupid redneck,” you really can’t argue what he’s done as a team owner. In the top three NASCAR Series, he has won seven Cup Series championships(1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994), seven O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championships(2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2019, 2025) and two Truck Series championships(1995, 2011). He also co-owns the Carolina Cowboys, a Professional Bull Riders Team Series team, as well as founding Childress Vineyards.
My point here is that Steve Phelps might see Richard Childress as “a stupid redneck,” but he is a very successful “stupid redneck.” He’s not stupid! He’s a very smart, self-made businessman. Sure, RCR isn’t where it once was, but after Dale Earnhardt’s death, how could it. RCR will never fully recover from losing that level of talent. But you can’t ignore how good of a businessman Richard Childress is.
Some more texts that came out in discovery are gems too. These include:
“Childress is an idiot. If they don’t like the state of the sport, sell your charter and get out.”
“Did I mention Childress was an idiot?”
“If he’s that angry (and apparently he is) sign your charter extension and sell. He’s not smart, is a dinosaur, and a malcontent. He’s worth a couple hundred million dollars – every dollar associated with NASCAR in some fashion. Total ass-clown.”
This is why many corporate lawsuits are settled. Big companies are worried about what is going to come out in discovery. TKO, owners of WWE settled a lawsuit filed by MLW over WWE being a monopoly. To anyone who wasn’t TKO, it was clear that MLW needed money, and was trying to get some from WWE. TKO, fearing discovery settled. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that if this had gone to trial, WWE would have prevailed.
Now, there’s another question, was Phelps’ resignation his own choosing, or was he pressured into it? Well, the letter from Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris didn’t exactly help. Morris, and Bass Pro Shops are a loyal sponsor of NASCAR, and it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think that the potential loss of a major sponsor would force NASCAR’s hand. It’s also not impossible that there were other issues with Phelps, and this was the tipping point.
As of the time of writing, Phelps is still the current commissioner, his resignation scheduled at the end of January 2026. No successor has been announced, and it remains unclear who will fill the role. I will say, I think there needs to be more changes than just a new commissioner if NASCAR is to survive.
In the other major NASCAR news stories, NASCAR brought the Chase back as their playoff system. The new system will feature the following changes:
“‘Win and you’re in’ is gone. A race win will no longer guarantee automatic entry into The Chase, increasing the importance of every event on the schedule. Winning is still valuable, but drivers must continue to perform at a high level throughout the regular season.
Race winning drivers earn more points. A win will now earn the race-winning driver 55 points. Previously, a win paid 40 points. The goal is to reward drivers who go for wins, not just strong points days, and ensure aggressive racing and strong team performance remain central to each weekend. Points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the same.
The Chase will feature the top drivers in regular-season points. Returning to a points-based qualification system reinforces the value of consistent, season-long performance and ensures the drivers who execute across the full schedule earn the chance to compete for a championship. The Chase in the NASCAR Cup Series will feature 16 drivers; the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series field will be set at 12 drivers, with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series field at 10.
The points leader after the regular season will receive a meaningful advantage. As recognition for sustained excellence, the top driver at the end of the regular season will earn a 25-point cushion over the second seed.”
Like many NASCAR fans, I wanted full season points. I hate this whole playoff system. This is another case of NASCAR tuning out what the fan base wants in favor of their own needs. Many old school NASCAR fans are gone, and will never come back. I’ve seen the TV numbers, and they are bad. Hell, the NHRA beat NASCAR in TV ratings. At what point does NASCAR realize they need to keep the fans happy?
While there was some positive reaction on social media, I do not like these changes. I’m not looking forward to this new system. What I would have done is to have the top four drivers in points locked in to the final race of the season, winner take all. It’s almost the same as a full race season, but there are four drivers giving their all for the Cup. I hate racing playoffs.
Ok, I need to end things here. I’ll have some more news for next week.
Well, 2026 is here. As you saw a few days ago, I had something prepared for Friday January 2, 2026, but I got side tracked, and never got around to uploading it. But, the good news is that the construction projects are behind me, and I can now focus more on The Driver Suit Blog. I do have a couple of projects for later this year, one of which I am really excited for.
But we do have two pieces of news to discuss, and I’ll start with the anti-trust suit. To the shock of nobody, NASCAR decided it would be a good idea to settle, once it became clear that they would get their asses handed to them in court. It ended up working out well for the teams, and NASCAR mitigated the damage.
This was, in the eyes of many, the most likely outcome. NASCAR put themselves in this position, and they found out that they are not invincible. NASCAR does have a monopoly over stock car racing in America, but let’s be honest, if it wasn’t NASCAR, it would be another sanctioning body.
I said before that a giant sanctioning body is a necessary evil. There needs to be someone on charge. When NASCAR was founded, one of their first objectives was to flesh out and ban tracks and promoters who were fraudulent screwing over fans, and drivers. This was a much more common issue than you might think. There needed to be standards and rules, and NASCAR brought them.
The bottom line is that the suit was a long time coming, and now that it is over, teams and drivers can focus on the 2026 NASCAR season.
Now, one of the most somber racing news stories in 2025. I am of course, referring to the deaths of Greg Biffle and his family. That story is nothing but sad. Fans loved Biffle, drivers loved and respected him, and he proved himself to be an amazing human being. During the flooding in North Carolina, Biffle spent his time flying around in his personal helicopter rescuing people and providing aid. Nobody asked him, he just did it because it was the right thing to do.
Sadly, Biffle, and his family were killed in a plane crash due to bad weather. NASCAR and the NASCAR fan base lost a great driver, and a great man in that plane crash. RIP Greg Biffle.
So, I was going to post this on Friday, January 2, my 44th Birthday. But, I got sidetracked, and never got around to it. So, I present, a series of historical events that took place on January 2, a few days later…
First, we start with January 2, 1982-My birthday:
Events:
1982-New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to start 23 NHL game undefeated home streak (21-0-2), 14 straight wins
1982-The “Epic in Miami,” played in 85°F heat, sees the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff, setting numerous playoff scoring records
1983-In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completes 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage
Births:
1982-Athanasia Tsoumeleka-Greek race walker (Olympic gold 20k 2004), born in Preveza, Greece
Now we move on to other January 2 events:
1776-Austria ends the use of interrogation by torture
1776-George Washington’s army hoists the Grand Union Flag at Prospect Hill, Charlestown
1788-Georgia is the fourth state to ratify the US Constitution
1791-Big Bottom Massacre in the Ohio Country begins the Northwest Indian War
1800-Free African American community of Philadelphia petitions US Congress to abolish the slave trade
1811-Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts becomes the first US Senator censured by the body for revealing confidential documents of President Thomas Jefferson
1815-Leading Romantic poet Lord Byron (27) marries Anne Isabella Milbanke (22) by special licence, at Seaham Hall in County Durham
1839-First photo of the Moon, taken by French photographer Louis Daguerre
1842-First US wire suspension bridge for general traffic opens in Pennsylvania
1845-Explorer and medical missionary David Livingstone (31) weds Mary Moffat
1865-Welterweight Con Orem & heavyweight Hugh O’Neill brawl for 185 rounds before darkness ends legendary bare knuckle boxing match in Virginia City, Montana
1879-British battleship HMS Thunderer gun turret explodes during gunnery practice in Gulf of Izmit, near Turkey; 11 sailors killed and 35 injured
1882-Because of anti-monopoly laws, Standard Oil is organized as a trust
1890-Alice Sanger becomes the first female White House staffer
1893-World’s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago
1900-Émile Berliner begins manufacturing 7-inch single-sided records in Montreal
1903-US President Theodore Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola, Mississippi, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
1906-Willis Carrier receives a US patent for an “Apparatus for Treating Air,” the world’s first modern air conditioner
1910-1st junior high schools in US opens (Berkeley California)
1912-Brookyln Superbas Baseball Club President Charles Ebbets
announces purchase of 4.5 acres of land to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 23,000; Ebbets Field opens in 1913
1918-After repeated clashes over pay with the Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel is traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
1920-Responding to global fear of communism caused by the Russian Revolution, US Attorney General Palmer authorizes raids across the country on unionists and socialists
1921-First religious service radio broadcast in the US over KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1924-Book publisher Simon & Schuster is founded in New York by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster
1928-American landscape photographer Ansel Adams (25) weds artist Virginia Best (24) in Yosemite Valley, California, until his death in 1984
1934-First state liquor stores open in Pennsylvania
1935-Bruno Hauptmann trial begins for kidnap-murder of Charles Lindbergh’s baby
1936-First electron tube to enable night vision is described in St Louis, Missouri
1943-University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team begins 129 home game winning streak that only ends in 1955; incorporates NCAA titles in 1948, 1949 and 1951
1953-NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a record 32 game road losing streak (12 games in 1952-53; 20 games in 1953-54) with a 73-66 defeat at the Indianapolis Olympians
1960-Senator John F. Kennedy, announces his candidacy for the US Presidency
1965-New York Jets sign future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath to a $427,000 contract over three years
1965-Obverse design of all Canadian coins is changed to depict present-day
1974-Speed limit of 55 mph is imposed by President Nixon
1977-MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing
1979-British punk rocker Sid Vicious’ trial for murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen begins in New York City
1986-NHL New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins; 11th player in NHL history to score 500 goals
1987-Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone
1988-Ashland Oil storage tank spills 3.8 million gallons in Pennsylvania
1998-Autopsy of Chris Farley shows he overdosed of opiates and cocaine
2006-Sago Mine Disaster: 12 miners are killed in a coal mine explosion in West Virginia
2010-Actor Vince Vaughn (39) weds realtor Kyla Weber in Lake Forest, Illinois
2023-Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati
January 2 births:
1727-James Wolfe (d. 1759)-British Army officer who defeated the French in Canada and captured Quebec, born in Westerham, England
1752-Philip Freneau-American poet of the American Revolution (The American Village), born in New York City (d. 1832)
1913-Gardner Read-American composer (Quiet Music for Strings; Dance of the Locomotives), and pedagogue (Boston University, 1948-78), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 2005)
1920-Isaac Asimov-Russian-American scientist and sci-fi writer (I Robot; Foundation Trilogy), born in Petrovichi, Russia (d. 1992)
1936-Roger Miller-American Grammy and Tony Award-winning country singer-songwriter (“King of the Road”; “Dang Me”), fiddler, and guitarist, born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1992)
1938-Ian Brady [Ian Duncan Stewart]-British serial killer (Moors Murders), born in Glasgow (d. 2017)
1939-Jim Bakker American-televangelist (Assemblies of God, The PTL Club) and convicted fraud, born in Muskegon, Michigan
1961 Gabrielle Carteris-American actress (Andrea in Beverly Hills 90210), born in Scottsdale, Arizona
1963-David Cone-American baseball pitcher (perfect game 1999; AL Cy Young Award 1994; 5 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1992 Toronto Blue Jays; 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 NY Yankees), born in Kansas City, Missouri
1967-Tia Carrere [Althea Janairo]-American actress (Wayne’s World, True Lies), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
1968-Cuba Gooding Jr. American actor (Boyz n the Hood: Gladiator; As Good As It Gets: Jerry Maquire), born in The Bronx, New York
1977-Brian Boucher-American NHL hockey goaltender, 1999-2013 (Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and 5 other teams; NHL modern record for longest shutout streak 332:01, 2003-04) and broadcaster, born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
January 2 deaths:
1904-James Longstreet-American Confederate general (1st Corps, ANV), dies at 82
1933-William “Kid” Gleason-American baseball utility (St. Louis Browns, NY Giants, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (Chicago White Sox, during “Black Sox” scandal), dies from a heart condition at 66
1953-Guccio Gucci, Italian founder of Gucci fashion house, dies at 71
1977-Erroll Garner-American jazz pianist (Misty), dies at 53
1986-Bill Veeck-American Baseball HOF executive (owner Chicago WS, Cleveland Indians [World Series 1948], St. Louis Browns), dies of lung cancer at 71
1990-Alan Hale Jr.-American actor (Skipper-Gilligan’s Island), dies of cancer at 68
1994-Dixy Lee Ray-American politician (17th Governor of Washington) and chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), dies at 79
2009-Jett Travolta-son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, dies of a seizure at 16]
2019-“Mean” Gene Okerlund-American pro wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host (WWF, WCW), dies of kidney failure at 76
2020-Sam Wyche-American NFL coach (Cincinnati Bengals 1984-91; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992-95; introduced no-huddle offense), dies from melanoma at 74
2021-Don Salls-American football linebacker (Alabama) and coach (Jacksonville State University 1946-52, 1954-64), dies at 101
2021-Paul Westphal-American Basketball Hall of Fame guard (NBA Championship 1974; NBA All-Star 1977–81; Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns) and coach (NBA: Phoenix, Seattle, Sacramento), dies from glioblastoma at 70
2022-Bob Halloran-American sportscaster (CBS Sports NY) and event organiser (MGM Mirage), dies at 87
2022-Larry Biitner-American MLB baseball outfielder, 1970-83 (Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and 2 other teams), dies of cancer at 75
2023-Cliff Gustafson-American College Baseball HOF coach (College World Series 1975, 83; Collegiate Coach of the Year 1983; University of Texas, Austin), dies at 91
2023-Fred White-American drummer (Earth Wind & Fire, 1974-84 – “Shining Star”; “September”), dies at 67
2023-Ken Block-American rally driver (Hoonigan Racing Division) and co-founder of DC Shoes, dies in a snowmobile accident at 55
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