Blunt Kyle Larson calls his shot vs. Max Verstappen: 'You can quote that'

As arguably the top drivers in their respective disciplines, there’s been endless debate as to whether NASCAR’s Kyle Larson or Formula 1’s Max Verstappen deserves the title of the best wheelman in the world.

Well, there isn’t any doubt in Larson’s mind, that’s for sure. While he has a great deal of respect for Verstappen, Larson believes his versatility and success in a myriad of different styles separates him from the Formula 1 superstar.

“Not really. I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” Larson said, putting it bluntly when asked by FloRacing if he would have to race and beat Verstappen to feel like the world’s best driver. “There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car 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 (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element. 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.”

That’s about as clear as Larson could make it, showing the racing world his confidence in his abilities. Verstappen would probably have a different answer, but without a fair way to gauge it, there’s no right or wrong.

Continuing, the question of which driver deserves top billing is one that was at the forefront when Larson was looking to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day earlier this year.

While he wasn’t able to pull off The Double due to rain, McLaren’s chief executive Zak Brown, who obviously believes Larson is one of the best, if not the best, in the world, explained why comparing the two drivers is impossible.

“I don’t think anyone should get wound up over that,” said Brown, regarding Larson and Verstappen, via The Race. “Because to me the difference between NASCAR and Formula 1 is baseball and football. Do I think Kyle is as good as you get as a talented racing driver in NASCAR and shown me what he can do in an IndyCar? 100%. He’s as good as you can get. Max is as good as you can get at his discipline.

“I don’t think you can compare them other than just say ‘that’s the best football player in the world and that’s the best baseball player in the world, and that’s one of the best basketball players in the world’. So from that standpoint, yes, Kyle is one of the best racing drivers in the world. Do I think he can hop in the Red Bull and win the Formula 1 world championship? No. Do I think Max Verstappen could hop in the Hendrick NASCAR and win the NASCAR championship? Probably not.”

Kyle Larson is the class of the field in NASCAR, but the world? He believes so, and many of the sport’s most passionate fans do, as well. We’ll be waiting on Max Verstappen’s rebuttal, but the former NASCAR Cup Series champion made some salient points in his argument.