Mamba Smith compares Kyle Larson to Lamar Jackson, the good and the bad

When it comes to comparing race car drivers to other athletes, it can be difficult. But is Kyle Larson the Lamar Jackson of NASCAR? Mamba Smith seems to think so and he might have a good argument for it.

Superstar athletes can be electrifying. Some of the most exciting players in football, basketball, and other major sports play on that edge of being out of control. Racing is all about being on the edge of control and managing it for a few hundred miles.

Lamar Jackson will rack up points in a hurry. He can throw a 50-yard pass or run for 50 yards with the drop of a hat. He can also turn the ball over multiple times in a game. In many ways, Kyle Larson is that way on the race track.

Not only that, Jackson and Larson both break the mold of what a “quarterback” or what a “Cup driver” should be and what they should do. Larson races constantly, even outside of NASCAR, always developing his craft.

“Yeah they’re different. I think that’s been Kyle Larson since Kyle Larson started racing stock cars,” Mamba Smith said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “Like, he’s been fast and he’s going to put you in a situation to win a lot of races. He also might lose a lot of races because he’s going so hard. … It’s kind of like Lamar Jackson.

“Lamar Jackson is a super talent and badass. But if you tell him to stop running the football, it’s going to take away an element of him, and if you tell Larson ‘Hey I want you to stop running so many dirt races,’ or these other things, it’s going to take some of his edge away. You just gotta keep feeding that, because he is a dog! He’s really hard to beat.”

For now, Kyle Larson has something Lamar Jackson doesn’t – a championship. There is no doubt they are two athletes who have a big bag of skills in their respective sports.

Kyle Larson off to strong start in 2024

So far this season, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team has had a good deal of success. There have been ups and downs, but having a win and a top-5 finish in the first six weeks can’t be a bad thing.

At COTA, Larson had speed for another top finish but was spun out by Christopher Bell late in the race. He was never able to get his track position back and finished P17 in the end. Coming to Richmond, a track he dominated a year ago, he could be ready for another big day.

Larson is a champion, he has all of the talent in the world. The confidence he has in his skills and driving makes him an aggressive racer. He attempts to make passes and moves that few in the NASCAR Cup Series would even think of. That’s what makes him so great. It’s also what gets him in trouble and why he had eight DNFs in 2023.

If the DNFs can be limited this season, Kyle Larson could have a big year in the Cup Series. Like 2021 type year. If he gets himself in trouble, wrecks, or makes poor decisions – then he’s going to have to fight and claw, just like everyone else.