There’s nothing that sports fans hate more than people putting down their favorite sport. The same holds true for NASCAR fans and former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick, who has a real bone to pick with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith this week.
Smith recently asserted that he doesn’t consider golfers or NASCAR drivers to be athletes. The comment immediately sparked a backlash from fans who felt that he was belittling the hard work that drivers go through to prepare for races.
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Harvick used his platform to state that Smith has no idea what he’s talking about and should keep his opinions to himself.
“Here’s the deal with Stephen A. Smith: this guy has no clue about racing,” Harvick said on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton. “And I don’t mind people criticizing our sport or our drivers or our people, but if you don’t know anything about racing, just keep your opinion to yourself because you shouldn’t even have an opinion if you don’t know anything about a sport.”
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Drivers as athletes
Harvick explained that NASCAR drivers have to go through extensive training to survive the brutal heat and endurance required for non-stop racing over many hours. he recalled having to burn over 3,000 calories during a 500-mile race
“I did the first event, and I think I burned 3,200 calories,” Harvick said. “It’s a 500-mile race, so you’re in the car for a long time, hot day, (we) didn’t have a lot of cautions that day.”
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Harvick explained that racing in that heat puts the body in a heart rate on par with marathon runners.
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN First Take set at the CFP Fan Central at the George World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Harvick is hardly the first person to speak out against Smith over those comments either. Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Mike Joy and Front Row Motorsports are just a few NASCAR people that have publicly ridiculed Smith over his statement.
Simply put, saying that golfers and racecar drivers aren’t athletes lumps in a ton of additional sports and athletic activities. Smith didn’t need to go after those two sports just to make whatever point he was trying to make at the time.
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This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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