Already considered an antagonist by Dallas Cowboys fans and NBA star LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith has now turned his sights on NASCAR drivers, whom he argues are not athletes. During a recent episode of his YouTube show, Smith dismissed a caller's claim that stockcar legend Richard Petty is one of the greatest athletes of all time.
"Come on, man. That don't count," Smith said. "You driving a car? 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. A golfer is not an athlete. A NASCAR driver is not an athlete."
Petty, known as "the King," is an 88-year-old seven-time NASCAR champion with 200 career wins. While he did not respond, other NASCAR legends quickly defended the sport.
"If you don't know anything about racing, just keep your opinion to yourself because you shouldn't even have an opinion if you don't know anything about a sport," Kevin Harvick, a 60-time race winner, said on the Speed podcast. "I think this is just an instance where Stephen A. Smith is looking for clicks on something he knows absolutely nothing about."
Driver Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, also weighed in. "When you train for a specific sport for most of your life, your body gets trained to be able to do that," Hamlin said on his podcast. "You would not be able to sit in that car and do what we do, turn that wheel, sit in that heat, maintain the g-forces."
Smith has faced criticism for lacking depth outside the NBA and NFL. In 2021, he mistakenly claimed Juan Soto batted behind Aaron Judge in the Yankees' lineup. He admitted in 2023 that he doesn't watch much baseball. While he avoids hockey commentary, his NASCAR views may be influenced by his friendship with Jordan and familiarity with Joe Gibbs, but ESPN lacks NASCAR rights, limiting his exposure.
