Kyle Larson sets the record straight as fans misinterpret his 'greatest driver' verdict on Max Verstappen

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson won the Knoxville Nationals title last August and shared his thoughts on how he believes he is a better all-around driver than the four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen. However, people misunderstood his comment and called him out on social media.

Larson expressed his confidence in being a versatile driver and believed he could compete with Max Verstappen in any form of competitive motorsports. While Verstappen has achieved significant success in Formula One and secured four world titles, Larson showcased his remarkable skills across multiple racing disciplines, including Sprint Cars, Dirt Late Models, Dirt Midgets, and Stock Cars.

Reflecting on the same, the HMS driver shared his belief that he was a better all-arounder than the Dutchman, and he wouldn't win a race at the Knoxville Nationals in a stock car.

Fast forward to 2025, Larson recently went on the 12-question interview with NASCAR analyst Jeff Gluck, and he questioned the HMS driver about how he deals with the sarcastic “greatest driver in the world!” reaction from his critics. The Cup Series driver gave a subtle reply to the debaters.

Ahead of his Indy 500 run, Kyle Larson cleared the doubts for people who misunderstood his comment and told Gluck (via NYTimes.com):

“People act like I’m the one who said I am the greatest race car driver in the world. I never said that,” Larson said to Gluck. “I just said I’m a better all-around driver than Max Verstappen. And they took that as I said, ‘I’m the greatest in the world.’ Because, for some reason, Max is considered the greatest in the world. So it’s funny. I mean, I expect it when I have a crash or something. But it’s fine.”

Larson has secured 32 wins, 127 top-five finishes, and 191 top-ten finishes, along with 22 pole positions in 378 starts since his rookie year in 2013 in the Cup Series. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has secured four world titles in 215 starts and won 64 races with 115 podium finishes and 44 pole positions.

Also, Kyle Larson secured his spot on the extremely short list of drivers doing multidisciplinary things in different fields. The HMS driver has a solid career in dirt racing, and he will attempt the 'double' for the second time this year.

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Max Verstappen gave a two-word reply to Kyle Larson's claim of being a better driver than him

While enjoying his three-week-long break during the mid-2024 season with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet and friends in Portugal, the four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen gave a short and concise reply.

Following his Knoxville Nationals victory, Kyle Larson was brimming with confidence. His rivals praised him as the Hendrick Motorsports ace on his win and deemed him probably the best driver in the world.

During a post-race interview, the #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver was questioned about his take on a duel with four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen to decide the world's best driver. Just after winning the Knoxville Nationals, Larson named himself the better all-rounder.

"I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver. 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 doing what he does than him doing what I do just because of the car element," Larson said via Flo Racing.

“That’s what gives me ease and confidence that, like, I know I’m better than 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,” he added.

However, during a media interaction before Max Verstappen's home race in Zandvoort, he did fuss about the claims. Rather, he gave a precise two-word reply:

"That's fine."

Kyle Larson won at Kansas Speedway with a margin of 0.712 seconds over Christopher Bell and earned 61 points. With his latest win, Larson now leads the Cup Series points table with 469 points and has eight stage wins this season.