“American Drivers Do Not Get the Credit”: Kyle Larson’s Strong Statement Threatens to Reignite Fiery Max Verstappen Debate

Kyle Larson made global headlines last year when he felt he was a better all-around driver than four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen. Time and public opinion — including some harsh criticism from overseas — have not changed Larson’s mind. The 2021 NASCAR Cup champion is back at it again, still insisting American-style racing — and NASCAR Cup in particular — is better than racing in other parts of the globe.

“As much as you don’t want to accept it, American auto racing and American drivers don’t get the credit we deserve,” Larson said Thursday on NASCAR Daily on YouTube. “The open-wheel, European-style fan, they don’t understand our racing, and they do think we just turn left all the time.”

Au contraire, Larson added.

“We are probably some of the most talented overall, diverse drivers in the world,” the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion insisted. “When you just strictly look at the Cup Series schedule, the style of tracks we go to, the cars we’re racing, the cars we’re racing during the week, different surfaces and stuff, I don’t think there’s a more diverse, more well-rounded crop of drivers as there would be in the Cup Series, but even American auto-racing.”

While he still gets a bit chippy at times when non-NASCAR fans insist Cup drivers have less talent than their F1 counterparts, Larson admits he’s learned to ignore much of that “us vs. them” chatter.

“Honestly, I don’t really pay much attention to that topic because I know and understand,” he said. “We’re pretty fortunate to have all the different types of racing we do in the States.”

“I do know we’re all good, I don’t really need the clout from the other half of the world, but it is what it is.”

As Big As NASCAR Is In The U.S., F1 Is Much Bigger Around The World

But Larson will concede one thing: while many may believe NASCAR or IndyCar in the U.S. is big, it pales in comparison to F1 around the world.

“To fans, racing is so small in America compared to the rest of the world,” Larson acknowledged. “That’s what I realized when I went to my first F1 race in Abu Dhabi in 2021.”

“It was just really eye-opening that you think what you’re doing in the States is really big and really cool, and the majority of people are paying attention, but they do not care.

“When a nobody like me says what I said last year, they just laugh.”