Stephen A. Smith’s harshly worded take about NASCAR drivers may have angered a new sports demographic and stock car racing legend Kurt Busch.
During a recent episode of his Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM, Smith fired back at a caller who suggested that NASCAR Richard Petty is one of the greatest athletes of all time.
“Come on, man. That don’t count. You driving a car!” Smith said, via Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. “I’m being honest, it’s a great sport. But come on, bro. Getting behind the wheel of a car is not the same.”
Smith further explained his reasoning, with perhaps enough bombast to sway people into believing him. Even golfers caught a stray during Smith’s diatribe.
“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,” Smith continued. “Just because you gotta walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that don’t make you an athlete.”
One person who clearly isn’t buying the idea Smith peddled is former NASCAR driver Kurt Busch.
As a response to Smith’s critical remark, Busch issued a challenge to the ESPN personality.
“Let’s go cupcake. I will personally drive you around a nascar track for 30mins or when you pass out on lap 30,” Busch wrote in a comment on Motorsport’s Instagram post showing Smith’s quote about NASCAR drivers.
Smith has made enough outlandish sports takes to fill the Daytona International Speedway, and this is just the latest. It won’t be the last, either.
His logic behind his claim on NASCAR drivers doesn’t really hold up, and he would find that out if he takes on Busch’s offer.
