Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson won the latest Cup Series race in the Charlotte Roval last Sunday. It was his sixth victory of the season and firmly reaffirmed his position as the favorite to win the championship. What the result also did was push him a step ahead of the iconic Carl Edwards on the all-time Cup Series wins list with 29 victories. Does this make him a better driver than Edwards?
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A brief comparison of their numbers can answer that question. Edwards had immense support from the fans in his day. People wanted him to win just so that they could see him do a backflip in victory lane. But the one thing that misses in his resume is a Cup Series title and that is what segregates him from Larson the most. Edwards finished second in the standings twice, in 2008 and 2011.
Kyle Larson has won his 29th NASCAR Cup Series race, this surpasses Carl Edwards and moves Larson to 30th on the all-time wins list pic.twitter.com/1ySQ1ZEuyJ
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) October 13, 2024
In 2008, he lost the honor to Jimmie Johnson by a mere 69 points. In 2011, he lost the title to Tony Stewart despite being equal on points. NASCAR had to break the tie by awarding the title to the driver with the most wins that year and that wasn’t him. Larson, on the other hand, dominated 2021 and was crowned as the undisputed champion. That isn’t all.
Both drivers have considerable runs in the Xfinity and Truck Series as well. As things stand, their appearance/win ratio is nearly identical. Edwards has 38 wins in 245 Xfinity Series races. Larson has 15 wins in 116 races. The same holds true in trucks as well. Edwards has six wins in 60 races. Larson has three wins in 15 races. What can be inferred from all this?
What the numbers prove about Larson and Edwards
By all parameters, Larson has edged over Edwards on the race track. He has surpassed his number of Cup Series wins in fewer appearances and already has a championship to his name. What’s even more impressive is that he still has a long while to go before calling for retirement.
It is only a sane judgment that the Hendrick Motorsports star will massively increase this gap in the upcoming years. In fairness, Edwards retired when he still had a lot of steam left. He could have posed a better competition had he stayed in the sport for a while longer or if he had secured a title.
However, this doesn’t affect the legacy of the Hall of Famer. He is one of the most loved stars of NASCAR and will continue to be so. He was rightly named one of NASCAR’s Greatest 75 Drivers. The icon currently lives in Missouri, focusing on being a father and a husband to his wife, who is a physician.
