Ty Gibbs edges Ryan Blaney in NASCAR's closest Bristol finish since 1991
On Tuesday, April 20, 2026, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith issued a controversial statement on NASCAR drivers. Following that, Front Row Motorsports took the matter into its own hands. The team wrote a message on Instagram to A. Smith and issued him a challenge.
Smith garnered attention during a conversation where he named LeBron James as one of the greatest athletes ever. While listeners called into the Mad Dog Sports Radio show on SiriusXM and suggested seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty should also be on the list.
However, Stephen A. Smith disagreed with the fans, claiming, "You don't count driving a car."
He further stated (via On3.com):
"Come on, man. That doesn't count. You driving a car! I'm being honest, it's a great sport. But come on, bro. Getting 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. Just because you've got to walk the course for 18 holes for four days, that doesn't make you an athlete" he added.
As a result, Front Row Motorsports was not impressed by Stephen A. Smith's take and mocked him by sending a text on Instagram. The NASCAR Cup Series team wrote:
"Stephen A., what's going on, my man? We heard that ABSOLUTELY PREPOSTEROUS take of yours claiming NASCAR drivers aren't athletes, and quite frankly, we were stunned. Stunned!"
The team further handed the ESPN personality a challenge:
"So here's what we're gonna do; we're inviting you to step out of that studio, come down here, and hop in for a ride-along with one of our three Cup Series drivers. Then you can tell the world how 'not athletic' it feels going 180 miles per hour, pulling G-forces, and fighting that wheel for three straight hours. We'll be waiting."
Front Row Motorsports features three full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with Noah Gragson in the #4 Ford Mustang. Followed by Todd Gilliland in the #36 Mustang and Zane Smith in the #38 ride. Additionally, the team has two full-time entries in the Truck Series with Layne Riggs in the #34 and Chandler Smith in the #38 Ford.
NASCAR Cup Series MD Brad Morgan was featured in an interview with SiriusXM after wrapping the Bristol Motor Speedway race. During the interaction, Morgan got candid about the 750-hp package's performance at the 0.533-mile short track.
The Cup Series MD revealed that stock car racing teams were excited to work with the new, increased horsepower package at Bristol. The qualifying session gave fans an idea of what to expect from the main event at the short track. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney secured the pole position, followed by Toyota drivers in the rest of the top five spots.
"I think all the teams were excited going in there. And from what we saw there on Saturday during practice of qualifying, we were all pretty pumped up about what we thought we were going to have on Sunday. And it actually, it actually did happen the way we planned. We went thinking we were going to see something on a Sunday."
Also, the track witnessed the closest finish since 1991, with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs crossing the finish line 0.055 seconds ahead of Blaney. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson led the most laps, 284, and secured a third-place finish at Bristol.
