“Is he being delusional again?”; “This guy can’t be serious”: NASCAR Fans erupt in outrage over president Steve Phelps’ email message

Fans shared their discontent on social media after NASCAR President Steve Phelps shared a message ahead of the 2025 season, promising an "exhilarating" experience, with new tracks and rule changes. However, the message was not met well with social media users.

With the pre-season Clash at the Bowman Gray, the 2025 NASCAR season will be kicked off after a long hiatus of stock racing. Ahead of the start of the season, Steve Phelps shared a message in an email, setting a prelude for the upcoming season.

In the message, he mentioned that 2024 was a record-setting season, and the sport would keep the momentum up with rule changes and other factors contributing to a more eventful racing experience for the fans. A snapshot of the email was posted by Nascar Insider Bob Pockrass on his X handle with the caption:

NASCAR President Steve Phelps email message to fans:

However, social media users had other opinions. Some of them mentioned that the racing was not being held on a "track near" them, as Phelps wrote. At the same time, others also suggested rule changes.

Is he being delusional again?" A comment read.

"Hahahahaha this guy can’t be serious," wrote a fan.

"A race near me??? Really??? I didn't know that @KySpeedway was on the schedule this year ??? I have to drive 6+ hours in any direction to go to a track where I can see all the action. Bring back my racetrack," a fan complained of the missing tracks on the schedule.

A user also mentioned that they were hoping for Phelps to retire from his position and provide new leadership to the sport, while some commented about the lack of excitement ahead of the new season.

"I was hoping this would be his resignation. We need new leadership that is not obsessed with gimmicks and manufactured entertainment to start moving the sport in the right direction," the comment read.

"And yet here I am not the least bit excited for something I’ve loved for 20+ years coming back in a few days. Never thought I’d feel this way about it. Last year was exhausting and burned me out. Maybe that’ll change when the season actually starts…?" Another user commented.

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Why was the NASCAR playoff system sharply criticized after the 2024 season?

Joey Logano won his third Cup Series championship after winning the race at Phoenix. He was closely followed by Ryan Blaney in the final moments of the race, however, he could not get ahead.

While this was a major win for Logano and Team Penske, fans did not celebrate it on social media. Instead, they blamed the playoff system in NASCAR. Considering the statistics, the 34-year-old did not have a very strong start to the season.

After winning the race, his average finish of the season came down to >17. This was the lowest average finish of a championship-winning driver in NASCAR history.

It was argued that drivers who performed excellently during the season (such as Kyle Larson, who won multiple races and led the table for a long time before his disqualification) were not rewarded. The playoff system has largely been criticized by fans for a long time, but the outrage increased after the end of the 2024 season.