Rusty Weiss
NASCAR driver Joey Logano dismissed ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith over recent comments that drivers like him are not athletes, suggesting the hot take was little more than a bid for attention.
Which, if we’re being fair, is an accurate description of Smith’s entire career.
Smith made the remarks last week on his SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio show while debating the greatest athletes of all time. When a caller mentioned NASCAR legend Richard Petty, Smith rejected the idea outright, arguing that driving a car—even at high speeds for hundreds of laps—does not qualify as athletic.
“Come on, man. That don’t count. You driving a car!” Smith began, via Awful Announcing. “I’m being honest. It’s a great sport. But come on, bro. Getting behind the wheel of a car is not the same.”
He went on to clarify that NASCAR is a great sport, but getting behind the wheel ain’t the same as being a true athlete.
“You can be behind the wheel of a car in your 60s and 70s for crying out loud,” he added.
Joey Logano Calls Out Stephen A. Smith for Chasing Relevance with NASCAR Driver Criticism
Logano, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, responded bluntly while speaking to the media at Talladega.
“People like that have to make comments to stay relevant,” Logano told reporters. “I mean, that’s part of their game, right? They gotta make big moments so people watch.”
“He got exactly what he wanted — he got you talking about it, the whole industry talking about it,” he added. “Now he’s relevant.”
Meh. Jury’s still out on that one.
"People like that have to make comments to stay relevant."@joeylogano shares his thoughts on Stephen A. Smith's take that NASCAR drivers are not athletes.
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) April 25, 2026
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Logano wasn’t the first NASCAR driver to put Stephen A. Smith on blast, and he likely won’t be the last. Veteran NASCAR driver Ryan Preece also torched the ESPN personality.
Back in 2023 at Daytona, Preece’s ride went airborne on the backstretch, barrel-rolling a stomach-churning 13 times before finally coming to rest.
“He can have an opinion all he wants. I’d love for him to go tumbling 13 times, have black eyes, and show up next week doing what you gotta do,” he said. “Your definition of an athlete certainly varies from person to person.”
All of this comes against the backdrop of Smith having the athletic prowess of a potato.
