Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson is the Tony Stewart of the current generation in many ways. He is as versatile as Smoke was and has followed in his footsteps throughout his career. This has led to the two of them being the only drivers in history to hold a distinctive record at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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In 2001, Stewart led a combined 16 laps in the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. Larson led a combined 12 laps this year. This has made them the only two drivers to lead laps in these two events in the same season. Stewart finished sixth in the Indy 500 and seventh in the Brickyard 400. Larson, on the other hand, finished 18th in the Indy 500 and won the NASCAR event.
#DidYouKnow – Just two drivers have led the #Indy500 and #Brickyard400 in the same season.
In 2001, @TonyStewart led a combined 16 laps between the two races. This year, @KyleLarsonRacin led 12 laps in the #INDYCAR and #NASCAR events. pic.twitter.com/QMHdA5V9h0
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) August 1, 2024
Notably, Larson’s Indy run was hurdled by bad weather and a pit road speeding penalty without which he might’ve finished higher. He also ended up as the only Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year to win the Brickyard 400 in the same year. The driver will have fortunes to thank for this stat since the later event just made it back into the schedule this year.
To share a dais with someone like Stewart, whom he looks up to, is a great honor for Larson. When a reporter asked him who his favorite driver was in NASCAR, he named Stewart alongside Jeff Gordon. Their shared love for multiple racing disciplines ranging from sprint to stock cars could be the stem behind his admiration for the 3X Cup Series champion.
Stewart believes Larson is even better than he was
Larson is a Cup Series champion today and is known as one of the best race car drivers in the world today. But this wasn’t always the case. Back in 2021, when he was still gunning for his first title, Stewart came out and mentioned that “Yung Money” was a better driver than he was at his age. What led to this opinion was watching him race in the 4-Crown Nationals as a teenager.
Stewart mentioned, “Kyle Larson is better than I was. I remember watching him during the first time he ran the 4-Crown Nationals, and won all three races, in his first time racing here. This isn’t the easiest place to come to for your first time and for him to take a Midget, a Sprint Car, and a Silver Crown and just dominate in the fashion that he did.”
Years have passed and Larson has only been leveling his game up since.
