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Stephen A. Smith didn’t make many friends in NASCAR circles when he called drivers unathletic.
“Come on man. That doesn’t count. You’re driving!” Smith said last month on his SiriusXM show. “I’m telling the truth, it’s a fun game, but relax bro, traveling by car is not the same.
“You could be behind the wheel of a car in the 60s and 70s for crying out loud.”
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Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson sit in the Arrow McLaren pit box on May 18, 2023, during the third day of practice for the 107th Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK)
However, Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon caught wind of what Smith had to say, and naturally, challenged him.
“My first response is, do we really want to click and pay attention to Stephen A. because, I feel like that’s what he’s asking for there,” Gordon began during a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
“But at the same time, he obviously doesn’t know much 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 required to be in the car for many hours, competing and the things that make drivers true athletes. It’s a different concept of how to race like a ball-and-ball.”
Larson, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion then challenged Smith, or anyone, to go one lap in a race car “without feeling like they’re going to die.”
“Everybody has a slightly different definition of what an athlete might mean to them. So their definition is different than how I would feel about it. Do I get worked up when I hear someone say they are not athletes? No.”
Kyle Larson hits the wall in turn two during the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jamie Gallagher)
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“Thank you,” said Gordon.
But Larson has more insight.
“I just accept that they won’t understand, because they will never be able to tie a race car going 200 kilometers an hour. If they do, I don’t think they will be able to do it without feeling like they are going to die,” Larson continued.
“Then you look at three-and-a-half-hour races and a 150-degree car with a maximum heart rate of about 150 for three hours, and the maximum, for me, would be 190. I think they will quickly realize that even though you don’t shoot the ball in the huu, this is definitely a tough game and you definitely have to be there. with things.”
Gordon said he recently invited Jason Kelce to take the plunge and drive the car on the course.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon speaks at a press conference at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, on April 12, 2026. (Photos by Randy Sartin/Imagn)
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“I’m sure he would have a different opinion about it,” Gordon said. “Just ask him.”
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