The age-old debate…
NASCAR drivers are constantly dealing with people questioning whether they’re actually “athletes.”
The argument from critics usually goes something like, “Well anybody can drive a car.” But I don’t think these people realize exactly what it takes to drive a race car 180 mph for 4 hours within inches of 36 other cars on a racetrack with 20 degrees of banking. That’s a little different than your Sunday drive to Dunkin Donuts. That’s like saying football players aren’t athletes because “anybody can throw a ball” and completely ignoring the 300-lb dudes trying to tackle you as you try to throw the ball 40 yards down the field.
Well yesterday, Stephen A. Smith decided to jump into the debate and threw a stray that has the NASCAR community fired up.
During a discussion on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM, Smith was discussing NBA star LeBron James and where he ranks on the list of all-time great athletes when it comes to longevity. And later on in the show, someone suggested that 7-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty should be on that list with his 200 wins. Stephen A. Smith, though, wasn’t having it:
“Come on man. That don’t count. 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.”
He also said that he doesn’t consider NASCAR drivers – or golfers – “athletes.”
“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. That’s just not true, we are not gonna act like it is. Just because you gotta walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that don’t make you an athlete. …
They’re skilled players, they’re elite at what they do. But athletes? Athletes? Are you kidding me?”
Ironically, earlier in the conversation Smith had called Michael Jordan his GOAT – and I have a feeling that MJ would strongly disagree with his take that NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes. Jordan owns a NASCAR team, 23XI Racing, and knows exactly the type of athleticism it takes from these drivers to win races.
Well one of Jordan’s fellow NASCAR teams heard Smith’s comments, and unsurprisingly they weren’t happy about it.
Front Row Motorsports, which fields three cars in the Cup Series, decided to slide into the host’s DMs with an offer to prove just what athletes their drivers really are:
“Stephen A., what’s going on, my man? We heard that ABSOLUTELY PREPOSTEROUS take of yours claiming NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes, and quite frankly, we were stunned. Stunned! So here’s what we’re gonna do; we’re inviting you to step out of that studio, come down here, and hop in for a ride-along with one of our three Cup Series drivers. Then you can tell the world how ‘not athletic’ it feels going 180 miles per hour, pulling G-forces, and fighting that wheel for three straight hours. We’ll be waiting.”
And listen, I MIGHT have been on Stephen A.’s side in the past, but I’ve been in a Cup car before and I’ve felt what it’s like to be in those cars, suited up and strapped in when you hit the banking and feel those G-forces. I mean, even fighting to keep your head straight is hard enough. And that was just for a few laps: These guys are doing it for hours at a time, in temperatures that exceed well over 100 degrees, week after week.
So yeah, miss me with the whole “NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes” thing. If you think you could do it too, let’s see you try.
