If Kyle Larson is the greatest driver in the world

Formerjackman said:
Championships don't go to the best driver. They go to the driver that does the best job. Larson beat Elliott like a drum all season, but in the end only 20 or so points separated the two. Same could be said for Byron. At some point you have to do more than just win races and be spectacular. You have to maximize EVERY single opportunity.
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As you are seeming to have such a problem with Larson, why don't you tell us just who it is that is currently the "best" driver in the Nascar field?
 
Formerjackman said:
Championships don't go to the best driver. They go to the driver that does the best job. Larson beat Elliott like a drum all season, but in the end only 20 or so points separated the two. Same could be said for Byron. At some point you have to do more than just win races and be spectacular. You have to maximize EVERY single opportunity.
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Totally. It's just frustrating to be taken out by luck.
 
StandOnIt said:
As you are seeming to have such a problem with Larson, why don't you tell us just who it is that is currently the "best" driver in the Nascar field?
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Pure talent and speed, Larson. Getting it done when it matters? Probably Logano. Go back ten years, the answers likely would have been Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. Go back another ten, and the answer is probably Jeff Gordon for both.
 
Larson is still young. Give him more time and he'll settle in and become a driver who knows how to pace himself and his equipment. Racing venues from open wheel require you get the job done as quickly as possible as open wheel races don't regularly run the distances NASCAR's top series race. It is hard to disengage a trained mentality from a lifetime of racing for the moment and learning the nuances of guaging on track actions for the win.
 
Formerjackman said:
Championships don't go to the best driver. They go to the driver that does the best job. Larson beat Elliott like a drum all season, but in the end only 20 or so points separated the two. Same could be said for Byron. At some point you have to do more than just win races and be spectacular. You have to maximize EVERY single opportunity.
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I think this a pretty even keeled take imo
 
Formerjackman said:
Pure talent and speed, Larson. Getting it done when it matters? Probably Logano. Go back ten years, the answers likely would have been Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. Go back another ten, and the answer is probably Jeff Gordon for both.
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I think Kyle Busch showed us that talent doesn't make the racecar driver alone. He was an underachiever for most of his career. People forget that.

Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are the only guys in recent years who had Larson like talent with Logano like racecraft.

Kyle Busch didn't for a while, but he also didn't have the talent of Gordon, Stewart or Johnson - only propaganda said otherwise

Logano is the best racecar driver in the cup series, I think.
 
jaqua19 said:
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are the only guys in recent years who had Larson like talent with Logano like racecraft. .
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jaqua19 said:
Logano is the best racecar driver in the cup series, I think.
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Dislike of a driver causes some race fans to overlook one of the more talented drivers on the track.
Consider the following retired driver records for comparison/benchmark purposes only:

Jimmy Johnson won 12% of races entered and finished 54% top ten.
Tony Stewart won 12.6 % of races entered and finished top ten 50%.
Jeff Gordon won 8.6% of the time and finished top ten 60%. Jeff also is the laps led leader of those mentioned, surpassing the next highest laps led driver, Johnson, by 5000.

Active drivers:

Denny Hamlin won 8% of races entered and finished 52% top ten.
Kyle Larson won 8% of races entered and finished 50% top ten.
Joey Logano won 6% of races entered 50% top ten.

It won't be long before Larson sits in top spot and is currently displaced with a 2% margin of top ten finishes but considering Hamlin has been in the series 20 years and Larson 12, the table should easily turn as Larson gets better at long race management.

I appreciate the way Hamlin's management of strategy and equipment during a race as it shows in reviewing his entire racing history in the series. Of course there will be varying opinions on this topic but for right now, statistics tell the story.
 
Whizzer said:
Dislike of a driver causes some race fans to overlook one of the more talented drivers on the track.
Consider the following retired driver records for comparison/benchmark purposes only:

Jimmy Johnson won 12% of races entered and finished 54% top ten.
Tony Stewart won 12.6 % of races entered and finished top ten 50%.
Jeff Gordon won 8.6% of the time and finished top ten 60%. Jeff also is the laps led leader of those mentioned, surpassing the next highest laps led driver, Johnson, by 5000.

Active drivers:

Denny Hamlin won 8% of races entered and finished 52% top ten.
Kyle Larson won 8% of races entered and finished 50% top ten.
Joey Logano won 6% of races entered 50% top ten.

It won't be long before Larson sits in top spot and is currently displaced with a 2% margin of top ten finishes but considering Hamlin has been in the series 20 years and Larson 12, the table should easily turn as Larson gets better at long race management.

I appreciate the way Hamlin's management of strategy and equipment during a race as it shows in reviewing his entire racing history in the series. Of course there will be varying opinions on this topic but for right now, statistics tell the story.
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Tony Stewart had an 8% win rate. Jeff Gordons was around 11%
 
Whizzer said:
Larson is still young. Give him more time and he'll settle in and become a driver who knows how to pace himself and his equipment. Racing venues from open wheel require you get the job done as quickly as possible as open wheel races don't regularly run the distances NASCAR's top series race. It is hard to disengage a trained mentality from a lifetime of racing for the moment and learning the nuances of guaging on track actions for the win.
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He's 32? This is who he is.
 
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