Stock car racing vs. open-wheel racing, the age-old debate. Each discipline warrants its competitors to possess a heavily specialized set of skills. And to put one over the other would be anything but respectful to the wider spectrum of global motorsport. Technically, that debate can only get settled if those two differing brands of auto racing were to pit their best drivers against each other in a neutral setting with no extra advantages.

For the world of Formula One, their most stellar representative could be their dominant three-time champion, Max Verstappen. As for NASCAR’s delegate? Who else better to represent the thrill of the ovals than the guy most deem to be the “greatest racing driver ever” on this side of the Atlantic Pond but Kyle Larson?

After all, it would put an age-old debate to rest forever. But following his repeat triumph at the 2024 Knoxville Nationals last week, Larson’s sky-high “confidence” sent social media crazy as he issued an indirect challenge to Max Verstappen.

Kyle Larson ignites racing with challenge for Max Verstappen

Kyle Larson earned many admirers after leading all 50 laps last Saturday to win his third Knoxville Nationals title in four years. While others rested and recreated in the two-week Olympics break, Larson prepared to switch disciplines and even perform another ‘Double Duty’ with his sprint car racing advances in Knoxville.

It all paid off in the end, and the guys who finished behind him on the podium, Giovanni Scelzi & Corey Day, were both highly appreciative of the man and the immense experience he offered when the race ended. Scelzi had even claimed then, “[Larson’s] so good in every discipline, he’s probably the greatest driver ever to live.”

With a Bill France Cup as his crowning achievement, Kyle Larson’s record is extensive, but is a single Cup championship enough to rank him as the “greatest driver” across disciplines?

Max Verstappen, with three F1 championships and two ‘Best Driver ESPY Awards,’ has a more decorated trophy case. However, Larson’s versatility sets him apart—racing everything from midget cars on dirt tracks to the Indy 500. Was Larson trying to make Verstappen a little jealous at Knoxville this Saturday? His interview with FloRacing suggests he might have been.

When an interviewer asked the #5 driver about his chances against Verstappen, he said, “I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver… There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals… There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol.”

Maybe the Dutch F1 star could not do either of those things for whatever reasons. However, what Larson said next was even more surprising, considering when similar comparisons were being made back during the Indy-Charlotte weekend, he had a different demeanor.

Larson stated, “There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element… That’s what gives me ease and confidence that, like, I know I’m better than him. Maybe not in an open-wheel IndyCar or Formula 1 car, but that’s one discipline. I think I would beat him in everything else. You can quote that.” 

That is a little too blunt, even for “Blunt Larson.” But after being only “hopeful,” of taking on Verstappen in a sprint car race back in May, this newfound confidence could certainly work wonders for him if his path ever crosses with his Red Bull F1 counterpart.

Besides, after that 18th-place Indy 500 appearance with Arrow McLaren, it’s clear that Kyle Larson can hang with the very best of the best in open-wheel racing. Alexander Rossi, Larson’s teammate for the Indy 500, also the winner of the 100th edition of the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ and an ex-Formula 1 driver, told AP at the time how Verstappen and Larson were “on the same level” skill-wise. Other than that, senior McLaren officials even talked about wanting to see the Hendrick driver step foot in an F1 machine someday. Maybe that could help settle this debate once and for all between the two very different drivers.

All the same, these hypothetical discussions have effectively been able to divert some attention away from Joey Logano and Austin Dillon’s penalties from Richmond. And the grandstands are embracing the discussions.

Social media explodes for another racing crossover

For those who aren’t aware yet, NASCAR fined Joey Logano $50,000 for burning rubber in frustrations near Austin Dillon’s family on pit road. Dillon, on the other hand, got his playoff berth revoked after wrecking Logano & Hamlin in overtime to win at Richmond. All this controversy duly took away the shine from Kyle Larson’s 2024 return to the Brickyard 400 victory before the Olympics break. Although that race also brought about its due controversy, this past weekend the #5 driver had a quieter outing. He started 15th and finished P7.

But the fans did not seem to want to talk about that on the NASCAR Subreddit when the news of his indirect challenge to Max Verstappen turned into household news. “Is [Larson] actually better?” inquired one diehard. “I have no idea. Should he keep talking himself up so the two of them have to do a one-on-one race somewhere? Hell yeah.”

Others believed that if a race transpires in the future, “Let’s put them against each other in a race that’s neither F1 or NASCAR. Get some Miatas or something.” One hopeful member of the audience let out a preference for the race specifications and the venue, writing, “A duel in MX5s at Laguna Seca. A track neither has run in a professional setting.” Others figured it would be okay to take a jab at their open-wheel-aligned Redditors on the F1 Subreddit. “Someone go post this in the Formula 1 sub, just to see what happens,” stated a member of the NASCAR community.

A section of the audience seemed to think that “Max is probably too big of a scaredy cat to race at Indy.” Although rumors have persisted for the longest time of an Indy 500 appearance, as of now, nothing is concrete. But this comment stole everyone’s heart as it gained a lot of traction, reading, “It’s a silly argument, but it’s the kinda BS I’m all about. We haven’t had any “wHoSe tHe bEtTeR dRiVeR?” since we had prime Jeff Gordon racing at the same time as Schumacher and that was a time before we had the ability to argue and shit post at such a large level.”

With that said, both these drives are sitting on a lot of experience. And if karting ends up an Olympic sport in the future, maybe then those eager could witness these two duel it out with the weight of their respective nations on their backs.