Count Kevin Harvick among the growing number of NASCAR drivers who believe ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has no idea what he’s talking about.
On Tuesday, the NASCAR vet launched a broadside at ESPN’s chief hot-take artist, who last week said that drivers, like golfers, are not athletes.
“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,” Harvick said Tuesday.
He added: “I think this is just an instance where Stephen A. Smith is looking for clicks on something he knows absolutely nothing about what he’s talking about.”
During a caller segment on his radio show on Mad Dog Radio on Sirius XM, Smith bristled when a caller suggested that NASCAR legend Richard Petty should be considered among the greatest athletes of all time.
“Come on, man. That don’t count,” Smith said. “You driving a car?”
After some pushback from the caller, Smith doubled down.
“You can get behind the wheel of a car at 75 years old. That don’t count. That’s not the same. That has no place in this category. You should be ashamed of yourself trying to slide that in,” Smith said. “A golfer is not an athlete. A NASCAR driver is not an athlete. That’s just not true. We’re not going to act like it is.”
NASCAR racer Joey Logano also weighed in on Smith’s comments, charging the ESPN talker with making inflammatory comments to make headlines.
“I don’t put much weight into it, personally, because he’s never driven a racecar,” Logano said. “I mean, I personally believe that we’re athletes, because it’s the mental aspect is important. Obviously, the physical piece is very challenging inside the racecar; not many people can understand. So I don’t think I need to defend it personally. I think it’s just a way for people like that to stay keeping a job.
“I’ve done this long enough, I don’t care,” Logano said of Smith. “I don’t need to put much weight into that.”