"Same level as Max Verstappen": American NASCAR driver Kyle Larson compared to the F1 star by former Indy500 winner

Former F1 driver and Indy500 winner Alexander Rossi claimed that NASCAR driver Kyle Larson is on par with Max Verstappen. Rossi showered praises on Larson ahead of his Indy500 debut in 2024.

Kyle Larson has been racing in NASCAR for several years now. The American driver currently races for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup and Xfinity series. He entered the motorsport series in 2013 with the Chip Ganassi Racing team and raced for them till 2020.

After being suspended from the team for using a racial slur in an iRacing event in 2020, Larson returned to NASCAR with Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, which turned out to be the season where he won his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

On May 19, the 31-year-old took part in the qualifying session for the 2024 Indy500 race with Arrow McLaren. In his debut, he secured P5 for the race, one position behind Alexander Rossi.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, joined F1 in 2016 with Red Bull's B team, Toro Rosso (currently RB), and quickly got promoted to their main team. He instantly started winning races and bagging podiums in his early years in the sport.

Verstappen had to race hard against Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to clinch his first world championship in 2021. Ever since, the Dutchman has been dominating the sport, winning the 2022 and 2023 world titles with panache.

Speaking to The Associated Press, IndyCar racer Alexander Rossi praised Kyle Larson and stated he was on the same level as Max Verstappen in terms of talent.

“Dude, I think he’s already towards the top, so I don’t know. Put him at the top? Like, he’s ‘The Man,’” Rossi said.

“I would say they’re on the same level, which is like, yeah, that’s a pretty big deal,” he added.

The 2024 Indy500 race is on May 26, 2024. Larson starts from second place in the middle column (P5), while Rossi starts from second position in the inside column (P4).

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Max Verstappen shuts down prospects of him racing in Indy500 and clinching the Triple Crown of motorsport

In 2023, Max Verstappen stated he would not race in Indy500 or chase the Triple Crown of motorsport. The latter refers to winning the three most prestigious four-wheeler races in the world: Monaco GP, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Indy500. Speaking to the media at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Max Verstappen was asked whether he would race in other motorsports to clinch the Triple Crown. He said that though he likes to watch the IndyCar series and praised many known drivers racing in it, he would not participate in the series or specifically in Indy500.

"That [the Triple Crown] I won't achieve, no. I mean, I like watching IndyCar, I think there are a lot of great drivers in there, also people I raced against, you know, so I have a good connection with them and I like seeing them do well. But me driving the Indy 500, absolutely not. I might go there and watch, but not race," Verstappen said (via RacingNews365).

In the massive history of motorsport, British driver Graham Hill is the only driver to wear the Triple Crown.