Mike Joy: Kyle Larson could finish as a Top-5 NASCAR driver of all-time

Kyle Larson has been labeled as an all-time talent throughout his NASCAR Cup Series career. While he isn’t there yet, Mike Joy believes he could be considered a top ten, or even top five, driver to ever grace the sport when he officially hangs up his helmet.

During an appearance on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Joy was candid in examining Larson’s career thus far, and his future moving forward. While it’s difficult to compare drivers from era to era, the FOX Sports analyst is of the belief that the Elk Grove, California native could end up on NASCAR’s Mount Rushmore when it’s all said and done.

“Certainly Top 10. Possibly Top Five,” Joy stated, regarding Larson’s all-time potential. “It’s very, very hard, of course, to compare eras. We have no idea how David Pearson would do in this car today, or Richard Petty, or even Jeff Gordon. We don’t know, we’ll never know. We have no idea how you (Kevin Harvick) might’ve done in one of those cars in the 70s and 80s, before power steering or even before front-steered cars — before Bobby Allison made the front-steered car a thing. Everybody was driving rear-steered banjo cars. Essentially, they were all racing ’63 Ford Galaxies, with different sheet-metal on them, because that was the underpinnings, and maybe a different engine. So, we’ll never really know.

“The other thing is, sometimes you get a driver that’s so dominant that the success of other drivers pales in comparison. I was looking at your stats the other day, and not just all of the races you’ve won, but all the top fives, all the laps led, all of everything and I’m going, ‘When Kevin was racing, how did we not make a bigger deal out of this? Oh yeah, Jimmie Johnson was winning five championships in a row,’ and everything else was well down the list in comparison. So, we celebrate it now. Sorry if we didn’t celebrate it all that much then.”

Alas, Larson is already a champion, and he’s come close to winning No. 2 over the past couple of seasons. He’s been a revelation since joining Hendrick Motorsports, and his win total in the Cup Series has risen to 31. That’ll certainly continue to rise, as he already has two in 2025.

His talent is undeniable, but whether or not the success matches the intangibles at the end of his racing career for Kyle Larson remains to be seen. We’ll see whether or not he gets there, but it’s evident the 32-year old wheelman already has the respect and admiration of Mike Joy.