“A Fluke” – Kyle Larson Downplays His Nomination Alongside Max Verstappen for Prestigious Honor

Many NASCAR fans feel that if anyone deserves recognition for a fantastic 2022 season, it should be two-time champion Joey Logano. However, he did not make the cut for the National Motorsports Press Association best driver award; that honor went to Ross Chastain. Meanwhile, once again, another driver from NASCAR, 2021 champion Kyle Larson, has been nominated ahead of Logano for the 2023 ESPYS Best Driver Award.

In a recent interview, the Hendrick Motorsports driver spoke about receiving the nomination. He was also asked how he felt sharing the stage with Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen and others on the nominations list.

Kyle Larson believes Joey Logano should have been nominated

Larson made it clear that he was not all so pleased with the list of nominees having his name. He recognized that after winning the second championship, Logano deserved to be on that list instead.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver said, “Yeah, they’re the best – or one of the best – in all of their forms of racing. Anytime you can join a list with names like that is special. But again, I think a guy like Joey Logano probably should be on it more so than me.”

“But hey – if I win, I’m going to stick the trophy right next to the other one, too. It’s cool… it’s cool, for sure. But a fluke, in a way.” Last year’s award was won by Kyle Larson for his performance through the 2021 season.

Who are all the drivers nominated for the prestigious award?

The list of nominations currently comprises Larson along with two-time F1 World Champion, Max Verstappen. Verstappen has been dominating the Formula 1 scene this year again and is well on his way to winning his third consecutive World Championship with Red Bull Racing.

The other drivers in the nomination are two-time NHRA champion Brittany Force, and Josef Newgarden, who also holds two IndyCar championship titles to his name. Newgarden ironically drives in Team Penske’s IndyCar outfit, the same team that runs in the NASCAR Cup Series with Joey Logano.