Kevin Harvick dispels the notion that Kyle Larson is better than William Byron at Hendrick Motorsports

Kyle Larson is not only thought of as Hendrick Motorsports’ ace, but arguably the best driver in the entire NASCAR Cup Series.

When you’re a Cup Series champion and have 18 wins since the start of the 2021 season, that kind of reputation makes sense. But there’s another driver, a teammate of Larson’s, who’s making a case to be even better. That would be William Byron, who is five days removed from winning his 12th career race in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick believes Byron deserves more credit for what he’s accomplished at Hendrick Motorsports, and argued for why it’s not cut and dry that Larson is the best driver at the race team.

“So, it’s really interesting to look at the 78 races in the Next Gen car that William Byron and Kyle Larson have run together,” Harvick said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour this week. “OK, so right off the bat, everybody thinks Kyle Larson is head over heels better than his teammates. He’s won more races, he’s got more top 10s, he’s — I guess not even close, right? Wrong. So, they have the same amount of starts, they have the same amount of poles over those 78 races. William Byron has won 10 races, and Kyle Larson has won eight. Seconds you know, they’re close. Top 5s, they’re close. Top 10s, they’re close.

“DNFs, this is where the debate really started for me. Kyle Larson has 16 DNFs, and William Byron has nine. Lead lap finishes, William Byron has 63, Kyle Larson has 56. So, the thing that I wanted to point out, they’re both great. But they’re both very different.”

William Byron becoming one of NASCAR’s best

Harvick added that Larson has cost himself additional victories, whereas Byron has capitalized on those mistakes.

“Kyle Larson, naturally gifted, will win in anything fast. William Byron, works hard, fast, again can win in anything in stock car racing for sure at the highest level. But there’s also that piece of the puzzle in races that are 400, 500, 600 miles long, that requires you to finish. And I think, that’s still some of Kyle Larson’s weakness. He makes those mistakes in some of those races. Racing too hard, spinning himself out, running into the wall, whatever it may be. And he costs himself more opportunities to win. And I think, William has been the opposite. He’s capitalized on some of those situations…

“And so, in NASCAR racing, it’s not all about being fast. I guess that’s my biggest point here, because they’re both great. They’re just different.”

A Cup Series championship would go a long way in Byron getting his respect, something he looks primed to contend for in 2024. Coming off a career-best third place finish last year, Byron is the first repeat winner this season, something he’s done now three seasons in a row. He is the first driver since Jeff Gordon in 1997-1999 to be the first repeat winner in three straight seasons.