Ever since Kyle Larson made his Indy 500 debut, the motorsports community has been divided on the title of world’s best driver. NASCAR fans, along with motorsports enthusiasts from the U.S., have rallied behind Larson. Meanwhile, the European gearheads are hellbent on claiming F1 superstar Max Verstappen as the best racer.

In such cases, it is indeed hard to come to a consensus, but this is where expert opinion can shift the scales in a driver’s favor. And who better than Tony Stewart, who’s arguably the most versatile race car driver ever? But interestingly, the SHR co-owner didn’t completely negate Verstappen’s ability as a race car driver and believed he could succeed at the Cup level. At the same time, he couldn’t help but rave about Kyle Larson’s racing talent.

Tony Stewart isn’t sold on picking sides in the world’s best race car driver debate

The big argument made by Larson’s fan base was his versatility to drive and excel in anything that runs on four wheels. He’s done that at the Sprint car level, in the NASCAR Cup Series, and he extended his resume by hopping into an open-wheel IndyCar this year. Now, it is hard to imagine Max Verstappen being able to replicate this versatility in a Next-Gen car. But Tony Stewart made an interesting point that might surprise you.

Sharing his take on the raging debate, Stewart while speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, said, “Could you take Max Verstappen, Could you bring him in, sit him in a Cup car, and him being competitive? I think he could. I don’t know how long it would take him, but he could. Could you take him and bring him into a wing sprint car? I believe yes.”

He came to this conclusion based on his personal experience of witnessing an F1 driver, Kevin Magnussen, on a dirt track inside a 360-wing sprint car. Not only that, he even aimed a dig at a few NASCAR drivers while hailing pure race car drivers from different series. “There are drivers that you could take from the Cup Series from Formula 1, from IndyCar, from NHRA and put them in cars; they’re going to figure it out because they’re pure race car drivers; that is what Kyle Larson is,” he added.

Although Stewart didn’t hail Larson as the best driver in the world, his praises for the HMS star were proof enough of where he truly stands on this debate. This coming from a USAC, IndyCar, and a NASCAR champion is indeed a huge deal.

Stewart is glad that Larson will have a shot at his Indy 500 redemption

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Larson’s first attempt at “The Double” was a huge disappointment. Adverse weather conditions at the Indy forced the HMS star to stay a run in his debut run while ditching the start of the Coca-Cola 600 race. Despite qualifying fifth, a late pit road error during the race cost the driver a shot at winning the race and finishing 18th. To add to his misery, the weather turned foul on him as he made his way to Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Cup race was deemed official by NASCAR.

Not to forget, this led to drama about him getting the waiver from NASCAR to compete in the playoffs. But, thanks to the Arrow McLaren team and the support of HMS, Larson will have a second bite at running 1100 miles in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in 2025. Tony Stewart is glad that he is getting this opportunity again, as he continued to heap praise on Larson’s racing talent.

“I’m really excited that he’s getting the opportunity to go back, very appreciative of that… I don’t give a cr-p if it’s a Go-Kart, the Cup car, the Sprint car, the Indy Car. I just like him watch drive a race car. He just polarizes people with what he can do behind the steering wheel. He’s a guy that is a once-in-a-lifetime type of guy; it seems like every generation has that one guy that stands out above the rest, and Kyle’s that guy.” Stewart concluded.

Where do you stand on the Larson vs. Verstappen debate, and can the Red Bull star succeed in the Cup car?