Kevin Harvick shoves Stephen A. Smith in a locker for saying NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes

Kevin Harvick responded to Stephen A. Smith's claim that NASCAR drivers aren't athletes by citing fitness-tracker data showing he burned 3,200 calories during a 500-mile race—a figure so high that the fitness company Polar initially thought their device malfunctioned, comparing the calorie expenditure to marathon runners. The article is sourced from Fox News/OutKick with a named byline, but the reporting is thin on direct quotes from Harvick (relying on quotes from a Fox show segment) and lacks independent verification of Smith's original comments or Polar's response beyond Harvick's recounting. Independent searches confirm multiple NASCAR drivers have publicly criticized Smith's comment, corroborating that this is part of a broader driver backlash, and one source references Ryan Preece's response about surviving crashes—adding context to the physical demands drivers face. Watch for whether Smith responds to the coordinated pushback from drivers, and whether other sports commentators engage with the debate over what constitutes athleticism.