NASCAR: Kevin Harvick Throws Down On Max Verstappen Debate

A fiery debate has started over the driving skills of NASCAR’s Kyle Larson and Formula 1’s Max Verstappen. The discussion saw Larson claim to be a faster driver than the 3-time F1 champion.

Larson was unequivocal about his versatility as a driver, via Sports Illustrated.

“There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol.”

He continued:

“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.”

Fueling the debate further, fellow NASCAR rival Kevin Harvick weighed in during his show, Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. He robustly defended Larson’s claim, suggesting that Larson could nearly match Verstappen’s speed in a Formula 1 car with minimal practice while expressing skepticism about Verstappen’s ability to reciprocate in NASCAR’s circuits:

“The thing that I can tell you, that if Kyle Larson went to drive Max Verstappen’s car, it wouldn’t be just one or two days and he would be damn close to being as fast as Max Verstappen.

“But there is no way that Max Verstappen comes over here and does that in a stock car.”

Additionally, Harvick criticized the viewpoints emerging particularly from the international media, interpreting them as dismissive of the American racing scene.

He accused some media members of arrogance:

“Some of the arrogances that comes from the international crowd, on the media side, to just say, ‘Ah, you can’t do that. Kyle Larson, that’s not even a fair comparison,’ they just don’t even know what they’re talking about.”

A definitive answer on who stands as the better all-around driver will likely never be reached. But fans, and I, would love to see the likes of Cup Series drivers take on F1’s finest. Maybe, if we’re lucky, something like that could happen in the future. But I highly doubt it.

NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway Results

1. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing
2. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports
3. Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing
4. Kyle Busch – Richard Childress Racing
5. Brad Keselowski – RFK Racing
6. Chris Buescher – RFK Racing
7. Zane Smith – Spire Motorsports
8. Daniel Suárez – Trackhouse Racing
9. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing
10. Carson Hocevar – Spire Motorsports
11. Ryan Preece – Stewart-Haas Racing
12. Noah Gragson – Stewart-Haas Racing
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – JTG Daugherty Racing
14. Harrison Burton – Wood Brothers Racing
15. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports
16. Erik Jones – Legacy Motor Club
17. Austin Dillon – Richard Childress Racing
18. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske
19. Michael McDowell – Front Row Motorsports
20. Justin Haley – Rick Ware Racing
21. Cody Ware – Rick Ware Racing
22. Josh Berry – Stewart-Haas Racing
23. Daniel Hemric – Kaulig Racing
24. Martin Truex Jr – Joe Gibbs Racing
25. Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing
26. Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing
27. Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports
28. Austin Cindric – Team Penske
29. John H. Nemechek – Legacy Motor Club
30. AJ Allmendinger – Kaulig Racing
31. Chase Briscoe – Stewart-Haas Racing – Suspended
32. Corey LaJoie – Spire Motorsports – DNF
33. Joey Logano – Team Penske – DNF
34. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports – DNF
35. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing – DNF
36. Todd Gilliland – Front Row Motorsports – DNF