- Stephen A. Smith sparked backlash by dismissing NASCAR drivers as non-athletes.
- Front Row invited Smith to 180-mph ride-along to prove sport’s physical demands.
- Dispute highlights extreme G-forces and heat drivers endure to compete at top level.
It was business as usual on his Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM, as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith dove into the familiar debate of where LeBron James ranks among the greatest athletes ever, particularly when it comes to longevity.
But what started as a casual debate quickly became a full-blown war of words after Smith dismissed NASCAR drivers as “not athletes,” even brushing aside Richard Petty’s legacy. The blowback came almost instantly.
Reigniting the age-old debate of “what truly defines an athlete?” NASCAR Cup Series powerhouse Front Row Motorsports cut through the noise with a non-generic rebuttal, with a pinch of humor and a solid challenge.
‘Step out of the studio’: NASCAR team calls out Stephen A. Smith
Rather than simply disagreeing, the Ford-backed organization decided to show, not tell. In a direct message to the 58-year-old sports analyst, FRM threw down a direct challenge, urging Smith to step out of the studio and experience NASCAR firsthand before making such obnoxious comments.
“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!” the team wrote to Smith on Instagram, echoing the latter’s own emphatic style.
But they didn’t stop there. “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.”
It was the kind of response that said what a lot of people in NASCAR have been thinking for years. From the outside, it’s easy to shrug it off as just sitting behind a wheel, running in circles. But inside the garage, that idea doesn’t even come close to the reality.
As a matter of fact, modern NASCAR drivers endure extreme physical stress over the course of a race. Sustained G-forces, cockpit temperatures that can soar well above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the constant need for split-second reactions demand a level of conditioning that rivals athletes in more traditionally recognized sports.
Not to mention, the mental components of strategy, spatial awareness, and racecraft at 180 mph.
FRM effectively flipped the narrative by inviting Smith into that environment. Instead of arguing definitions, they offered an experience, one that could settle the debate far more convincingly than words ever could.
Whether Smith accepts that invitation remains to be seen. But the message was loud and clear.
Stephen A. Smith’s ‘not athletes’ take sparks NASCAR debate
The controversy traces back to a discussion on Mad Dog Sports Radio, where Stephen A. Smith was weighing in on the greatest athletes of all time, particularly in the context of longevity. When a caller suggested Richard Petty as a candidate, Smith’s reaction was dismissive.
“Come on, man. That don’t count. You driving a car!” he said, brushing off the idea entirely. From there, Smith doubled down, questioning whether NASCAR drivers should even be considered athletes at all. He extended that skepticism to professional golfers, arguing that the physical demands of those sports didn’t meet his definition of athleticism.
“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,” he asserted. “Just because you’ve got to walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that don’t make you an athlete.”
The argument, while not entirely new, struck a nerve, particularly because it leaned on a simplified view of what these sports require. While Smith’s logic hinged on accessibility: if older individuals can participate in some form, then the activity itself must not demand elite athleticism, critics were quick to point out the flaw in that reasoning.
As the old saying goes, the devil lies in the details. For instance, a 60-year-old can shoot a basketball, throw a baseball, or even run short distances, but that doesn’t equate to competing at the highest level.
In NASCAR’s case, the gap between casual driving and professional racing is enormous. The debate is nothing new for stock car racing drivers. Speedsters have long fought against the perception that their sport lacks the physicality of stick-and-ball disciplines.
Even as things cool off, this debate isn’t going anywhere. And if FRM and NASCAR fans get their wish, the next round won’t be in a studio; it might play out at 180 miles per hour on a superspeedway.
