If Joey Logano thinks Stephen A. Smith is using NASCAR just to stay relevant, then Stephen A. Smith thinks Joey Logano needs to do some more research.<\/p>\n
Last week, Smith picked a fight with golfers and NASCAR drivers<\/a> by proclaiming they\u2019re not real athletes during an episode of his Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM. Smith broached the hot take after a caller suggested Richard Petty\u2019s longevity rivals what LeBron James has been able to do over the course of his NBA career. To which Smith promptly argued, NASCAR drivers \u201cdon\u2019t count.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGetting behind the wheel of a car is not the same. 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,\u201d Smith ranted. \u201cJust because you gotta walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that don\u2019t make you an athlete. They\u2019re skilled players; they\u2019re elite at what they do. But athletes? Athletes? Are you kidding me? If you\u2019re out there doing stuff that grandmas and grandpas can do, I\u2019m not gonna look at you that way.\u201d<\/p>\n The NASCAR community was quick to push back, with Motor Racing Network even offering to put Smith in a car. Smith did not respond to the proposal, but he did respond to three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano, who accused the ESPN and SiriusXM host of just trying to stay relevant<\/a> with his hot take.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople like that have to make comments to stay relevant,\u201d Logano said when asked about Smith. \u201cI mean, that\u2019s part of their game, right? They gotta make big moments so people watch. He got exactly what he wanted \u2014 he got you talking about it, the whole industry talking about it. Now he\u2019s relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n