NASCAR drivers share their opinions on claims that Cup Series became a ‘sports entertainment business’ just like WWE

NASCAR drivers share their opinions on claims that Cup Series became a ‘sports entertainment business’ just like WWE

Kyle Busch

NASCAR drivers who are well renowned for their skills seemed pretty disappointed with Speedway Motorsports Inc. President, Marcus Smith calling NASCAR a ‘sports entertainment business’ following the race at the revamped Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“This is a sports entertainment business, and we served up a really entertaining weekend of racing here,” said Speedway Motorsports Inc. President Marcus Smith.

When reporters asked Kyle Busch if he felt more like an entertainer instead of a racer, he replied thoughtlessly agreed and said that he hasn’t enjoyed racing on the new Atlanta Motor Speedway.

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“Yup,” Kyle Busch responded when asked if he felt like more an entertainer than a driver, racing on the track.

“I think, at the end of the day, we’re here to entertain people with NASCAR,” says Alex Bowman

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Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman

Hendrick Motorsports racer Alex Bowman responded by saying that NASCAR is nothing alike WWE since it isn’t fake and added saying that the drivers are here to entertain the people in the end.

“It’s not WWE, for sure. Nothing here is fake at all in any way, shape, or form, who has won once in 2022. I think, at the end of the day, we’re here to entertain people. We’re here to put on a show,” says Alex Bowman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vW_ijBcsSU&t=2s

Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing agreed to the fact that drivers are entertainers but not one part of the race is fixed, be it going out there and racing driving the best race, teamwork, or winning, none of it is fixed.

“We’re definitely entertainers. I can promise you from a person inside the sport, it’s not fixed by any means, the driver, the team that goes out there and brings the fastest car and drives the best race is going to win the race. It’s not fixed by any means,” said Christopher Bell.

“There’s no, I guess, setup or anything like that,” says Erik Jones about NASCAR

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Erik Jones and Corey LaJoie

Erik Jones from Petty GMS Motorsports has said that NASCAR isn’t a setup and that it’s pure sport. But it is dependent on tracks like racing on Daytona, Talladega is entertaining but when it comes to Bristol and Martinsville, it’s sheer racing.

“There’s no, I guess, setup or anything like that, so it’s still a sport, I mean Atlanta, Daytona, Talladega, that’s obviously a little more entertainment. Come to a place like COTA, Bristol, Martinsville, the mile and a half now. That’s real true racing,” said Erik Jones.

Corey LaJoie of Spire Motorsports had a rather diplomatic reply that ‘good racing’ is subjective and that everyone has their own takes on what exactly racing is nothing can change one’s perception about that.

“Everybody’s got one, the definition of ‘good racing’ is subjective. What I think is good racing is different than what you might think is good racing. That’s all subjective and you’re not going to change anybody’s opinion on that,” said Corey LaJoie.

Briefly, with so many Cup Series drivers responding to the question if WWE is the same as NASCAR, it doesn’t seem to be the case.

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