Rusty Weiss
NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson didn’t hold back after Stephen A. Smith declared that race car drivers aren’t real athletes.
Smith’s comments on his SiriusXM show dismissed the physical demands of driving, claiming “you driving a car” doesn’t count and that people can compete well into their golden years.
Smith made the remarks last month 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 said, 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.”
“You can be behind the wheel of a car in your 60s and 70s for crying out loud,” he added.
NASCAR Stars Expose the Brutal Truth Behind Smith’s ‘Drivers Aren’t Athletes’ Claim
That, of course, is silly. Which is what Smith has made a career of doing … making silly comments to get attention. But Gordon definitely didn’t like it. He made it clear he didn’t want to give Smith’s hot take more attention than it deserved, but also that the controversial sports personality lacks an understanding of what drivers endure.
“My first response is, do we really want to give clicks and attention to Stephen A. for, I feel like that’s what he’s asking for there,” Gordon fired back in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“But at the same time, clearly he doesn’t know a whole lot about the sport, and he doesn’t know what it takes to be an athlete in motorsports. 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,” the NASCAR legend added. “It’s just in a different sense of how a stick-and-ball sport is perceived as an athlete.”
Volumes could be written about the things SAS doesn’t know “a whole lot” about.
"A NASCAR driver is not an athlete."
— Motorsport (@Motorsport) April 21, 2026
Stephen A. Smith did not hold back on his opinion. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/EQpP8XgaCX
Larson took it a step further by issuing a direct challenge, inviting the sport’s critics to strap into a 200-mph race car for even one lap.
“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 said.
Here’s hoping Stephen A. accepts the challenge.
Larson went on to describe the brutal reality for a driver on the circuit: cockpit temperatures reaching 150 degrees, heart rates sustained around 150 BPM for over three hours, and peaking near 190 BPM during intense moments.
Smith, by contrast, sits behind a desk and talks into a microphone.
