Kyle Larson Reveals the “Most Mentally Tough” NASCAR Driver And the Answer Might Shock Fans

Who is the toughest NASCAR driver out there? Some would say Denny Hamlin, while others might say Kyle Busch. However, according to Kyle Larson, it’s none other than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fans might be shocked at Larson’s pick, considering his lackluster performance, especially in 2023 apart from his Daytona 500 win. But in a Garage Guys NASCAR Betting video, the 2021 Cup Series champion revealed why he feels like the mindset that the #47 Chevy star hones is none like others.

Larson and Stenhouse Jr. are regular competitors in the Golf Guys Tour, a rare crossover between NASCAR and golf. To the utter surprise of the fans, Stenhouse has won three of the six Golf Guys seasons so far.

“He’s (Stenhouse) probably the most mentally tough person I think I know when it comes to competition,” admitted the HMS sensation.

“I know a lot of people probably don’t believe that because of his results or whatever you wanna call it in NASCAR,” explained the #5 driver. “But I think a lot of race fans don’t realize their team and how small it is and their resources of not having as much as a team like ours or honestly like a lot of other teams.”

Kyle Larson stated how Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s presence of mind gets him the wins at tracks where the pressure is extreme. The HMS star said, “You don’t get to see how good Ricky is until you go to a place like Daytona 500 and Talladega, where you have to be mentally tough and he wins.”

“In the golf course…he’s fun to watch. When he focuses, (when) he’s just like I’m not losing, he is not losing. It’s a cool mindset to see,” he added.

2023 was a rather disappointing season for Stenhouse Jr.

JTG Daugherty team’s front-face Ricky Stenhouse Jr. started the season strong with a gala win at the madhouse called the Daytona 500. This victory was essentially what punched his ticket into the round of 16 of the playoffs for the first time.

Unfortunately, the season did not end the way it had started. Despite putting up a pair of top-10 finishes during the playoff rumble, Stenhouse was among the first four drivers to have been eliminated right after the first round.

Nevertheless, 2023 marked Stenhouse Jr. bagging multiple top-5 finishes (2) for the first time in three years. Not in 7 years has he finished as good as he did this year (17.8).