Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

What is the closest anyone has come to accomplishing some of the biggest crown jewels in American motorsports in one year.

In 2021, he's won the biggest midget race in the world, the biggest sprint car race in the world, and the second most important Nascar race of the season (600).  

Honest question, because I dont know the answer.  Did AJ Foyt, Mario, or Tony ever have a season like this where they can stake claim to 2.5 of the biggest races in the USA in 1 season?  

Brandon McLain
United Sprint Car Series Driver
2014 Season
National Rookie of the Year!
National Points - 8th
Southern Points - 3rd
Asphalt Points - 3rd
18 Races, 3 Top 5's, 14 Top 10's

i'll throw in another question about whether anybody has done something like this in sports.  i think of dirt and asphalt racing as being two different disciplines so i guess you would have to compare to something like gymnastics where you have different events within the same sport.  it's hard to think of anybody who's had this much success and won some of the big ones along the way.

if you take all forms of racing together as one sport...i think of people like tiger woods and some of the runs he went on or other great tennis players in individual sports.  larson's not going to get the same attention mostly because espn doesn't broadcast nascar and they try to decide what people should care about.  nascar's on a network right now in nbcsn that won't even exist next year as far as i know.

If Larson can pull off winning the NASCAR championship, it wouldn't suprise me to see him in the "Athlete of the Year" category at the ESPYs (do they even still do that?). I don't think he'd win it, but a nomination is possible. Hype up his new awarness to social and racial issues.

I don't think anything in the 1960's compares.  There was no Kings Royal, Knoxville was a Supermoditied race in small town Iowa that had yet to become anything close to what we have today.  Stock Cars were still considered a southern sport and had not caught on in other parts of the country.  Indy cars were still half front engine roadsters in the early 60's.  To use a word that is in vogue with modern drivers it's much more technical today.  They were turning laps in the low 20's at Knoxville and today's cars are 15 second rockets.  I was around in the 60's and what Kyle is doing may have some past similarities but it's unique to our time.

Stan Meissner

When was the last time Kyle was passed while leading with 5 laps or less to go?  (not talking NASCAR)

speaking of social/racial issues...he hasn't had the best few weeks off the track.  he was supposted to be part of a celebrity go kart race in philly to benefit the urban youth racing school the day before watkins glen.  they announced it earlier in the summer and there were never any details put out until they said it was canceled.  sounded like an issue with the venue (one of the casinos i believe).

not his fault...but sounded like it was going to be a cool event and i'm sure a fair amount of people were disappointed.

there was also the dust up with christopher bell.  i saw the interview with bell from indy over the weekend and i don't remember ever seeing him that upset.  larson came off like a teenaged girl in the whole thing.  

these are not typically things i would get worked up over.  some of us are still keeping a closer eye on larson than others to figure out what type of person they really are.  he did say something really stupid...and hardly suffered many consequences since he came out of it as a bigger star.  it doesn't take anything away from what he does on the race track...but helps me decide how much of his stuff i want to buy/how much i want to worship him like he's the second coming like everybody else is.

Seriously?  First off, he made a mistake, I don't like that he said that word and it's indefensible.  He owned up to it and admitted it right away.  Then he did lots of things that he didn't have to do over the past year.  But how do you figure he hasn't suffered many consequences?  He had to sell both of his houses, he lost his ride in NASCAR and many were surprised he ever made it back (myself included), I bet he will still have sponsor issues and even though he drives for one of the top teams in NASCAR I bet there isn't many other teams he could drive for because of those issues.  He paid a dear price for a moment of stupidity and in my opinion he deserved every bit of it.  But it's been over a year since this happened, please let it go.  If you don't like him it's fine but it's unfair to keep throwing it in his face (I doubt he reads this anyway), he did the act, paid the price and he's allowed to have a life after that.  I don't think it's fair to blame him for this event being cancelled or an on track incident with another car when it wasn't even clearly his fault (I think it's Bell's fault but that's just my opinion), so why bring any of it up?

Please post your life story here so we can all sit on our high horses and judge you as you judge Larson. That way we can keep a "closer eye on you than others". 

We'll wait........

I'm not sure how but I think Larson will make ends meet whout you buying his stuff. You do think a lot of yourself don't you.

Society.  It's  ok for a rap artist to use that word and society has no problem with it. If you, yes look in a mirror, have never slipped out a word you should not have in your life then you must live at the foot of the cross. Kyle Larson is an incredible talent, getting released by Ganassi  is the best thing thats happened to him in his entire motorsports career. He is one guy that you can go up to at a dirt track and have a conversation with. He doesn't hide in his trailer. His merchandise is reaching levels nobody would have ever imagined.  Bubba Wallace should get in line behind the 5 car and maybe he will learn what it takes to run up front. At this point he is just another Mickie Waltrip.  I give it another year and Michael Jordan pulls out of this mess.

I like Larson.  Certainly might go down as one of the all time greats.  If he adds these wins, then I'll consider him with the best all around race car drivers.  Foyt has won them all !!

Indy 500

Daytona 500 

24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of LeMans

12 Hours of Sebring

Huh?  As Stan pointed out earlier, it's 2021, not 1960.  Why on God's green earth would Larson need to win the 12 hours of Sebring or 24 Hours of LeMans?  Is this a bit, or are you being serious?

And the Daytona 500?  Really?  So if Kyle can happen to get in the fastest line of cars, with the most Chevys pushing him at just the right time, he will then be considered ONE of the best of all time?  You can scratch 4 of these races off of my list.  I want to see him compete in, and win (or podium) in the Indy 500.  The others?  Meh

Maybe Tony Stewart can get his Girlfriend to loan him a Dragster for the U.S. Nationals and he can bring the Wally home!

agree 100%

He's answering the original question, which had nothing to do with Kyle's use of the "n word", ESPN, or anything beside how many big races these legends won....

But I noticed you didn't mention those other issues either, so carry on...

Mario Andretti, from Wikipedia: "

During his career, Andretti won the 1978 Formula One World Championship, four IndyCar titles (three under USAC-sanctioning, one under CART), and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship, and, along with Juan Pablo Montoya, the only driver to have won a race in the NASCAR Cup Series, Formula One, and an Indianapolis 500. No American has won a Formula One race since Andretti's victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix.[3] Andretti had 109 career wins on major circuits.[4]

Andretti had a long career in racing. He was the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984).[5] He was also one of only three drivers to have won major races on road courses, paved ovals, and dirt tracks in one season, a feat that he accomplished four times.[5] With his final IndyCar win in April 1993, Andretti became the first driver to have won IndyCar races in four different decades[6] and the first to win automobile races of any kind in five.[5]

Too many variables to pick "the best", especially early in Kyle's career. When his career is over, I think he'll be right up there with the very best of all time....

The other thing is that when those other guys hit "The BIg Time", I don't think they kept racing on dirt, as far as I know...

That is answered in your previous post where it says Mario won major races on road courses paved ovals and dirt tracks in one season four times. Many of the guys did back then as sprint cars on dirt was the road to Indy cars not Daddy's check book.

We went years without hearing "Chili Bowl" or "Knoxville" during the NASCAR broadcasts. Now the network talent stumbles over themselves trying to sound knowledgable about forms of racing they probably haven't seen very much of. 

Within hearing distance of Tri City Speedway

Most people figured he would make it back to Cup. Many people think he got a ten dollar punishment for a five cent infraction. The sponsors look at focus groups and imo I just don't think very many people would know of or remember that incident. 

Within hearing distance of Tri City Speedway