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Stephen A. Smith didn’t make many friends in NASCAR circles when he called drivers non-athletes.
“Come on, man. It doesn’t count. You’re driving a car!” Smith said last month on his SiriusXM show. “I’m honest. It’s a great sport. But come on, bro. Getting behind the wheel of a car isn’t the same.
“You can be behind the wheel of a car between 60 and 70 years old 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 the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK)
Well, Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon caught wind of what Smith had to say and, naturally, they challenged him.
“My first response is, do we really want to give clicks and attention to Stephen A., because I feel like that’s what he’s asking for here,” Gordon began during a recent interview with PK Press Club Digital.
“But at the same time, it’s clear that he doesn’t know much about the sport, and he doesn’t know what it takes to be an athlete in motorsport. There’s no doubt about the mental fatigue it takes to be in the car for hours, the competitiveness and the things that make drivers real athletes. It’s just in a different sense than how the sport of stick and ball is perceived as an athlete.”
Larson, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, then challenged Smith, or anyone for that matter, to take a ride in a race car “without feeling like they’re going to die.”
“Everyone has a little different definition of what an athlete means to them. So their definition is different than how I feel about it. Do I get upset when I hear someone say we’re not athletes? No.”
Kyle Larson hits the wall in turn two during the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Jamie Gallagher)
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“Yes,” Gordon interjected.
But Larson is a little more understanding.
“I just accept that they won’t understand, because they will never be able to get into a race car that goes 200 miles an hour. If they did, I don’t think they would be able to go for a lap without feeling like they’re going to die,” Larson continued.
“And then you factor in three-and-a-half hour races and a car at 150 degrees with a high heart rate of probably 150 for three hours, with a peak, for me, would be 190. I think then they would quickly understand that even if you don’t shoot a ball through a hoop, it’s definitely a sport and definitely a tough sport where you have to be an athlete – maybe more on the endurance side.”
Gordon said he recently invited Jason Kelce to take a ride and even drive a car on a course.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon speaks during a news conference at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on April 12, 2026. (Randy Sartin/Imagn Images)
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“I’m pretty sure he would have a different opinion on that,” Gordon said. “Just ask him.”
