NASCAR’s LARSON CLAIMS TOP SPOT
NASCAR STAR Kyle Larson has excited global motorsport social media after claiming on Friday that he is a better all-round racing driver than F1 champion Max Verstappen.
Talking on US podcast The Loudpedal, hosted by FloRacing, Larson ended up in a discussion about driver quality, ultimately claiming that:
“I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” he said. There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprintcar and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol. There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him …”
“Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula 1 car, but that’s one discipline. I think I would beat him in everything else. You can quote that!”
Larson has set NASCAR alight since emerging from a successful background in Speedway – Sprintcars and Midgets – and NASCAR, in which he debuted modestly 11 years ago. Securing a drive with Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 set him on the road to NASCAR success, running second in last year’s NASCAR Cup Series, by a single point.
This year, Larson made his debut in Indycars, at the Indianapolis 500. He ran with the lead pack and, without an unfortunate pit lane speeding penalty was, according to Indycar regulars, headed for a likely top five finish – on debut.
Larson has competed in both Sprintcars and Midgets in Australia and New Zealand over recent years and is due back in Australia this summer to headline the High Limit Sprintcar spectacular, from December 28-30 in Perth.
Better than Verstappen? The two come from very different motorsport worlds and the discussion is very much a subjective one, as the concept of the pair racing in the same category any time is very unlikely. It will be interesting to hear what Max has to say when, inevitably, the question is asked when F1 reconvenes, at Zandvoort, next weekend …
Image: Motorsport Images
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