Hendrick Motorsports star and driver of the #5 Chevrolet for the team, Kyle Larson is one of three NASCAR Cup Series drivers to have featured on Autosport’s annual top-50 drivers list. While some might look at that achievement as good news, fans of the sport have not taken kindly to the California native’s position on the same.
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Larson sits in P16 on the list, ahead of fellow competitor and Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney in P34. However, Blaney’s teammate at Roger Penske’s racing outfit, Joey Logano managed to trump the HMS driver as the 2024 Cup Series champion is ranked one place ahead of Larson.
It's that time of year!
Autosport’s Top 50 drivers of 2024 have been revealed 📈
Click below to see who made the list 👇#AutosportTop50
— Autosport (@autosport) December 19, 2024
Fans of the sport did not take kindly to this decision and made their thoughts known on social media. “Kyle Larson being 16th shows that this has zero integrity. Anyone who pays attention to American motorsports knows how good he is, and if you don’t know, then don’t rank drivers to begin with. Putting Logano ahead of him is even funnier,” wrote one fan, questioning the overall integrity of the list.
“Logano shouldn’t be above Larson and Larson should be top 3 but cool nascar hate guys,” opined another, hinting at a possible bias towards NASCAR drivers. “You guys have a thing for shitting the bed huh? @KyleLarsonRacin at 16 is a mockery,” certainly no words were minced by this person.
I'm not even a Kyle Larson fan, but you should delete your account immediately you have lost any credibility in Motorsport.
— CJ Williams (@SeigeOutdoors) December 19, 2024
“How is Logano ahead of Larson? He won the title due to how the playoffs work in NASCAR, but he had the worst season average finish in NASCAR history with 17.1 He only advanced to the Round of 8 because Bowman was disqualified,” wrote one fan, bringing up the ever-present drama surrounding Joey Logano’s championship win this season once again.
While some fans of the sport might argue Logano’s position ahead of Larson is unjustified, it is easy to see how and why Logano and the #22 crew are placed just one step ahead of the 2021 Cup Series champion. Despite having more victories throughout the season than any other driver, Larson ultimately failed to challenge for the title this year, owing to the Playoffs format.
Logano and Team Penske on the other hand played the controversial system to perfection, validating their position on the list. Despite the backlash from the fraternity, playing by the rules set by the governance ultimately decided who would be crowned champion, and the #22 crew and driver’s ability to adapt shone through.
Perspectives can differ on the outcome of the 2024 Cup Series season and Joey Logano’s legitimacy as a three-time champion. However, the history books and statistics will only mention him as the victor this year, and not under the circumstances that he won.
