Kyle Larson is rightly deemed as the best NASCAR driver of the current generation by motorsports fans across the globe. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has made it a habit to break records every time he takes to the race track and is currently gunning for his second Cup Series title. But how do his numbers stack up against those of the 2012 champion and racing veteran Brad Keselowski?
Advertisement
Keselowski, as a co-owner, is currently on a mission to make RFK Racing a powerhouse in the sport again. He also pilots the No. 6 Ford Mustang to speed up the process. He is a 36-time race winner in the premier tier, has led 9,382 laps, and won pole position 18 times. The better part of his success came from when he was a driver for Team Penske.
Although not quite there yet, Larson is closing in on matching these stats. He has 28 wins in his pocket already, led 9,106 laps, and won pole 21 times. It is only a matter of time before he surpasses Keselowski on paper. The drivers have both had successful careers in the Xfinity Series as well. That’s another area where the RFK Racing co-owner edges out his younger counterpart.
Over 257 races, he has secured 39 wins and 22 pole starts. Larson, on the other hand, has started only 116 races. He has managed to win 15 of those and won pole position in seven. Their winning percentages in this tier aren’t that far off under a fair lens. Regardless of the honor that he gets in being compared to the likes of Keselowski, Larson doesn’t pay a lot of heed to such records.
“The records will take care of themselves, I guess!”
In 2024, Larson is writing fresh pages of history. He led 462 laps in Bristol last weekend and jumped from 26th to 23rd on the all-time laps led list. He is just a few good races from beating the likes of Keselowski and Buddy Baker in this. The star is also in the top 30 of the all-time wins list.
While being named among the best in the sport is honorable, the driver didn’t want it to disturb his focus. He told hendrickmotorsports.com, “I think whenever I’m done racing or done being a driver at Hendrick Motorsports and those records are still there, then yeah, it’ll mean a lot to me.”
“But for right now it’s like you’re just trying to do a good job, and the records will take care of themselves, I guess.” His job and the hunt for the Cup Series title will resume in Kansas this coming weekend.
