There’s nothing that sports activities followers hate greater than folks placing down their favourite sport. The identical holds true for NASCAR followers and former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick, who has an actual bone to select with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith this week.
Smith not too long ago asserted that he does not think about golfers or NASCAR drivers to be athletes. The remark instantly sparked a backlash from followers who felt that he was belittling the onerous work that drivers undergo to organize for races.
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Harvick used his platform to state that Smith has no thought what he is speaking about and may preserve 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 defined that NASCAR drivers need to undergo in depth coaching to outlive the brutal warmth and endurance required for continuous racing over many hours. he recalled having to burn over 3,000 energy throughout a 500-mile race
“I did the first event, and I think I burned 3,200 calories,” Harvick stated. “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 defined that racing in that warmth places the physique in a coronary heart charge on par with marathon runners.
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN character Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN First Take set on the CFP Fan Central on the George World Congress Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images&interval;
Harvick is hardly the primary individual to talk out in opposition to Smith over these feedback both. Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Mike Joy and Front Row Motorsports are only a few NASCAR people who have publicly ridiculed Smith over his assertion.
Simply put, saying that golfers and racecar drivers aren’t athletes lumps in a ton of extra sports activities and athletic actions. Smith did not have to go after these two sports activities simply to make no matter level he was making an attempt to make on the time.
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This story was initially printed by The Spun on Apr 28, 2026, the place it first appeared within the NASCAR part. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.