“I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver.” These were Kyle Larson’s words when asked if he could beat Max Verstappen, considered to be the best driver in the world. “I think I would beat him in everything [other than open-wheel racing]. You can quote that,” he said. This was back in August, and the 2021 Cup Series champion basically called himself the greatest. At least at the moment. His results since then?

Apart from the two wins and the P4 in Talladega, Larson’s results haven’t been the best. Especially in the playoffs. From the first race of the regular season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was seen as one of the championship contenders, and throughout the season, he proved that. But now, with just one race left before the Championship 4, Larson sits third in the standings and fifth in the playoff standings (-7).

This past weekend, at Homestead-Miami, Kyle Larson was in contention for the win, locked in battle with Ryan Blaney toward the end of the race. But with 13 laps to go, he tried to wedge his car in between Blaney and Austin Dillon’s (lapped) car, losing control of his No. 5 Chevy in the process. He made soft contact with the outer wall, bringing out the caution.

When his tire went flat, it caused the No. 5’s underbody to take damage. Although his diffuser was fine, he had some skirt damage, which impacted the height of the car. Seeing as the DVP rule has been changed until the end of the season – with NASCAR deciding to leave it up to the teams to decide when their car was fit to drive or not after Talladega – Larson dragged his car back to the pits. But a slow pitstop meant he joined the action in 10th place, ultimately crossing the line in 13th.

The 32-year-old wasn’t happy when he addressed his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, on the radio. “These cars are f—— stupid,” he vented. Larson’s problem with the Next-Gen cars extends to how the underbody/diffuser of the car can get bent just a little and completely ruin the car’s handling. Following the race, Larson commented on the incident, taking the blame away from Austin Dillon.

“You’re making split-second decisions,” Larson told NBC. “Austin did nothing wrong. I was just hoping that he would see me coming as [Blaney] got to his inside, and maybe he’d run a lane off the wall just to give me some clean air. He continued to run his line.” After the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s spin, it looked like Blaney would win, booking his place in the Championship 4, especially considering he was leading on the final lap. But a miscalculated move by the Team Penske driver allowed Tyler Reddick to steal the victory.

The incident took Kyle Larson out of contention in the race, prompting many to comment on the driver’s skills. Considering he basically called himself the greatest motorsport driver at the moment, apart from many calling him the ‘Golden Boy of NASCAR,’ watching the No. 5 driver struggle for two weeks in a row had fans questioning his capability on Reddit.

Kyle Larson hasn’t impressed fans with his playoff run, especially after Homestead

Looking at his performance at Homestead-Miami, fans were not happy to see how he has been performing as of late. Some saw it as the beginning of a slide, jesting, “The Larson downfall has begun.” For a driver who claims to be the best in the world, this comment carried a sting, a reminder of how high the expectations are for him. Larson carries the weight of expectations after the season he has had so far. With a series-high six wins and dominant finishes, he was a clear favorite for the Cup Series title.

One fan couldn’t help but laugh at the repeat of bad luck, saying, “Dude, the same thing happened twice in two weeks, lmfao, you can’t make this s— up.” They were presumably referring to the slow pit stops he’s had of late. Going into the South Point 400, Larson was the favorite to win, especially considering he had won in Las Vegas the last two times NASCAR visited the track. But, unfortunately for the No. 5 driver, things didn’t go his way.

In Stage 1, a piece of metal wedged itself inside the No. 5 Chevy’s front bumper. When he came to change it, he lost his track position. But fighting his way through the field, Larson hit another roadblock. On Lap 125, he had a slow pitstop because the right rear tire was loose, forcing the jackman to redo it. Two laps later, he had to come into the pits again, this time to tighten the left rear. Despite being a lap down, though, Larson managed to finish in 11th place.

Another fan poked at a deeper pattern they think they’ve noticed: “Larson making an unforced error when a driver puts him under any sort of pressure? It must be a Sunday.” They’re hinting that Larson crumbles a bit under the heat, that his high-speed brilliance has a tendency to hit a wall when things get intense on track. It’s not strange for fans to see this from the Hendrick Motorsports driver. He had multiple incidents in the playoffs so far where a small mistake put him in the wall.

And, of course, there’s always the suspicion of favoritism. When the caution came out after Larson’s light brush with the wall, someone threw out the inevitable: “Bull—- caution to save golden boy Larson.” If you ask some fans, they’ll tell you that NASCAR might keep a closer eye on keeping big names like Larson in the game, even if it means a soft caution here and there.

Then there’s the cherry on top: “Average Looney Tunes Kyle Larson s—.” It’s a jab at his chaotic race day and his supposed unpredictability. It’s like just another day at the track for Larson, starring in his own slapstick saga of tire blowouts and wall scrapes. For fans, Larson’s Homestead incident was like watching the same storyline play out, with their reactions as punchy as his car was banged up.

With that said, do you think that Kyle Larson will bounce back in Martinsville and make it into the Championship 4? Or is this really the beginning of the ‘Kyle Larson downfall’? Share your thoughts in the comments.