Kyle Larson Clarified His Infamous Statement About Being Better Than Max Verstappen

Last year, NASCAR driver Kyle Larson raised some eyebrows when he said that he felt he was a better "all-around" driver than Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, and while I think a lot of people would believe he has a point, those comments backfired on Larson a little bit.

Any time that he had an off night or found himself in a wreck, you could be sure that Larson was hearing it on social media for proclaiming himself to be the best driver in the world.

Of course, that isn't what he said…

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So, ahead of his second crack at the Indianapolis 500, Larson sat down for an interview with The Athletic's Jeff Gluck, who asked him about those comments and if Larson had anything to say to his critics.

"People act like I’m the one who said I am the greatest race car driver in the world," Larson commented. "I never said that. 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."

The funny thing about motorsports is that while it's one of the few sports where you can see someone hop into another series — a NASCAR driver like Larson tries Indy, an F1 driver tries Indy, or drivers from any category hop in sportscars — it's still impossible to determine who is best because every single series is totally difference.

IndyCars and F1 cars may look a little similar, but they're completely different in just about every way aside from having four wheels, hybrid engines, and front and rear wings.

Still, it's fun to have these debates and discussions about who would beat whom in what car. I mean, just this past weekend, I proclaimed Alex Palou to be the best driver on the planet at that very moment.

It's all in good fun, but if Larson happens to add an Indy 500 win to his resume to go with that NASCAR Cup Series championship, then the discussion will really heat up.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.