This year, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson said that “I know in my mind I’m better than him [Max Verstappen].” This sparked a heated debate between fans of NASCAR and fans of Formula One. I wholeheartedly believe that Larson is better than Verstappen, however we must look at some statistics to prove it. Let’s dive in, shall we?
- Wins
Larson – 32 wins in 380 starts
Verstappen – 65 wins in 218 starts
Well, this category goes to Verstappen. No matter how hard I tried to bias it towards Larson, I couldn’t. My argument would’ve been that the F1 season (24 races) is shorter than NASCAR (36 races), but that would give Larson more opportunity to win, and he hasn’t. Verstappen’s dominant 2022 and 2023 seasons boosted his win total a lot. So now the score is 1-0 in the favor of Verstappen.
- Career Awards
Larson – 2021 NASCAR Cup Champion, 3x NASCAR All-Star Winner, 3/4 Crown Jewel wins, 3x Chili Bowl Winner, 2012 K&N Series ROTY, 2013 Nationwide Series ROTY, 2014 NASCAR Cup ROTY, 2024 Indianapolis 500 ROTY, Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers (2023), 2015 24 Hours of Daytona Overall Winner.
Verstappen – 4x F1 Champion, 2015 FIA ROTY, 3x FIA Personality of the Year.
This category goes to Larson. The argument that European series don’t give out as many awards as the Americans do could be made, but that still doesn’t do Larson the justice he deserves with all these achievements he has. Score is now 1-1.
- Disciplines of Racing Driven
Larson – NASCAR (Stock Cars), IndyCar, USAC midgets, Sprint Cars, various dirt cars.
Verstappen – Formula One (Open Wheel), Go-Karts.
This category also goes to Larson. This point is big for the argument. Larson can beat Verstappen in many different types of car. Stock Cars and Dirt Cars especially. Verstappen would dominate in an Open Wheel car like an F1 Car, but maybe not an IndyCar. Either way, Larson takes the lead 2-1.
- Average Championship Finish** (run most of/full season)
Larson – 7.75
Verstappen – 3.38
This category goes to Verstappen. I figured this’d be the case, as Verstappen’s 4 championships in a row from 2021-2024 would help his number go down. Larson has ran more seasons and more series than Verstappen, but Verstappen has performed better in the series he runs. Score is now tied at 2-2.
- Average Finish (in primary series)
Larson – 14.0
Verstappen – 5.6
This category also goes to Verstappen. Even if there’s only 20 cars in F1 compared to NASCAR’s 40, the numbers don’t lie. Score is now 3-2 heading into the final topic in regulation.
- Laps Led (in primary series)
Larson – 10,107
Verstappen – 3,600
This category goes to Larson. Now that the score is even, we go to overtime. Score is now 3-3.
- Social Media Following (across Instagram, X, Youtube, Tik tok)
Larson – 1,017,800
Verstappen – 19,143,000
Well, that settles it. Verstappen beats Larson 4-3. Verstappen is statistically-speaking the better driver in this hypothetical competition. I still think each would beat each other in their respective series, but overall, Max Verstappen is the better driver.
