The ‘greatest of all time’ debates always get the social media buzzing. NBA fans are constantly divided between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In football, the discussion is fairly straightforward, with Tom Brady being the unanimous choice. But when it comes to NASCAR, there’s no clear-cut answer. Kyle Busch once said, “It’s a toss-up between five guys. It’s always up for debate.” Well, that’s true. From Richard Petty to Dale Earnhardt, there’s no one clear-cut answer, despite strong opinions throughout the garage and the fan base.
Even though Kyle Larson isn’t quite there yet, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has humbly taken himself out of the ‘GOAT’ debate, and rightly so. However, Jimmie Johnson, who has won five consecutive championships (seven overall), is right up there with the very best. But even he has spoken out against fans’ obsession.
Kyle Larson knows he has a long way to go
“Right now, it’s just hard to reflect and agree with it,” said Kyle Larson, sharing his thoughts about being a NASCAR ‘GOAT’. The 2021 championship winner certainly has what it takes to be considered an all-time great, but at just 32 years old, there’s still a lot of work to be done. After all, the likes of David Pearson and Jeff Gordon are also in the list with considerably more on-track success. Perhaps that’s why he played down the title, going on to say, “Someday, when I’m done racing, I’ll feel like I’m deserving of it. Currently, I don’t feel like I should be quite yet.”
However, Jimmie Johnson can make no such claims. He is an undisputed great, but the 49-year-old was surprised by fans’ obsession with such debates. He said, “The thing that I’ve always felt was interesting is how quickly people want to jump into that conversation. I experienced it after we tied Cale Yarborough with three. You kind of have a mixed bag, or at least I did, of appreciating the fact that I’m in the conversation but also recognizing that it’s a little early.” Sure, it was premature then, but with 83 Cup wins and seven championships, JJ can’t downplay it anymore.
Unlike some of the others in the mix, Johnson succeeded in what was arguably the most difficult, competitive era in NASCAR history. The No. 48 team was the one to beat back in the day, but they succeeded despite having a target on their back. And those five championships between 2006 and 2010 tend to get overlooked far too often. Chase Elliott feels the same, as he said, “Seven gets talked about a lot, but that five-in-a-row thing doesn’t get talked about enough, in my opinion.”
Johnson went wheel-to-wheel with eventual Hall of Famers. We’re talking about the likes of Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, and Kurt Busch. He also has two Daytona 500s to his name, along with four Brickyard 400s, four Coca-Cola 600s, and two Southern 500s. Looks like JJ isn’t escaping from the ‘GOAT’ debate anytime soon. And as for Kyle Larson, he once claimed, “I know in my mind I am better than Max Verstappen as an all-around driver.” But after a failed ‘double’ attempt once again, the tone has shifted to some extent.
Kyle Larson makes his preference clear
They say, ‘Game recognizes game.’ That certainly seems to be the case for Kyle Larson, who recently weighed in on the GOAT debate. The Hendrick Motorsports driver didn’t bother being diplomatic when sharing his preference, immediately claiming that Jimmie Johnson would be his pick. While that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, especially considering both the drivers raced for the same team, there are some real heavy-hitters in that list. But for the California-native, it was only JJ who had made the cut.
Weighing in on the ‘Greatest of All-Time’ debate, Kyle Larson candidly said, “I think my GOAT would be Jimmie. I guess the way I look at it, and I’m probably biased because I got to compete with him, but just the quality of competition and car. His era was, in my opinion, much more difficult. That’s why he would be. Anyone goes five in a row, that’s crazy.”
It’s not just about Johnson winning, but how he did it, too. JJ won seven championships in the shortest amount of time, just seven seasons. When Cale Yarborough won three championships in a row from 1976 to 1978, fans felt such a feat would never be repeated again. But the California-native surpassed that feat, and how. It’s unlikely that the ‘GOAT’ discussion will die away anytime soon. Jimmie Johnson will just have to live with it. After all, he’s earned it.
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