Stephen A. Smith has a knack for stirring the pot, but his latest comments about NASCAR drivers have crossed a line with two of the sport's all-time greats. The ESPN loudmouth recently declared that NASCAR drivers don't qualify as elite athletes alongside NBA, NFL, or MLB stars, saying, "Come on, man. That don't count. You driving a car!" Well, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson aren't letting that slide.
Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion, didn't mince words when asked about Smith's take. "My first response is, do we really want to give clicks and attention to Stephen A.? But at the same time, clearly he doesn't know a whole lot about the sport," Gordon told Fox News Digital. He emphasized that the mental fatigue of racing for hours at 200 mph is something most people can't comprehend. "There's no doubt about the mental fatigue it takes to be in the car for hours, the competitiveness and things that make drivers true athletes. It's just in a different sense."
Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, took a more measured approach but still dismantled Smith's argument. "Everybody's got a little bit different definition for what an athlete might mean to them. So his definition is different than the way I would feel about it. Do I get worked up about it when I hear somebody say that we're not athletes? No," Larson said. However, he quickly added that Smith's ignorance stems from never actually experiencing the sport. "I just accept that they won't understand, because they will never be able to strap into a race car that goes 200 miles an hour. If they did, I don't think they would be able to make it a lap without feeling like they're going to die."
Larson went on to paint a vivid picture of what drivers endure: three-and-a-half-hour races in a cockpit that can hit 150 degrees, with heart rates spiking to 190 beats per minute. "I think then they would quickly realize that although you're not shooting a ball into a hoop, this is definitely a sport and definitely a tough one where you have to be an athlete — maybe more on the endurance side of things."
Gordon, for his part, admitted he does get worked up about the disrespect. "I do," he said when asked if the comments bother him. The Hall of Famer stressed that motorsports demand a unique blend of physical stamina, mental focus, and split-second decision-making that rivals any traditional sport.
This isn't the first time Smith has faced backlash from the racing world. The debate over whether drivers are athletes has been a tired cliché for decades, but hearing it from a prominent sports commentator still stings. Many fans and insiders have pointed out that the physical toll of racing is comparable to other endurance sports, and proposals for radical changes to events often highlight just how demanding the sport is.
Perhaps someone should put Smith behind the wheel for a few laps — though Larson doubts he'd last one lap without feeling like he's going to die. Until then, the NASCAR community will keep defending their sport against outsiders who don't understand what it takes to compete at the highest level.
