Kyle Larson named to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is one of the 25 new additions to NASCAR’s Greatest Drivers list in celebration of the sport’s 75th anniversary, the sanctioning body announced on Thursday. Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series title winner, was given the news in a telephone call with NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France and Vice Chairman Mike Helton. RELATED: How the 75 Greatest Drivers works | More NASCAR 75 coverage Naming the 75 Greatest Drivers is a continuation of the popular program established in 1998 recognizing the 50 Greatest Drivers for NASCAR’s golden anniversary. The 50 Greatest Drivers form the foundation of the 75 Greatest Drivers -- there will be 25 new names added to the list first established 25 years ago. Currently the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Larson, 30, has amassed 20 Cup Series victories to date, all but six of which have come for team owner Rick Hendrick since 2021. Larson previously drove for Chip Ganassi’s now-defunct Cup operation, winning his first premier series race in 2016 at Michigan International Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevy. After an absence from the sport for the majority of the 2020 season, Larson signed with Hendrick and immediately established his dominance by winning 10 of 36 races in 2021 en route to his first Cup championship. One of his more prominent wins came during the Coca-Cola 600, where he led 327 laps. Widely known as an all-time legend -- if not the greatest ever -- across the dirt-racing scene, Larson’s NASCAR career began with a full-time Xfinity Series campaign in 2013 after four Craftsman Truck Series starts in 2012. In sum, he’s collected 13 Xfinity wins while netting two Truck Series trophies. MORE: Kyle Larson through the years | Ten wins in three minutes, Larson's 2021 reel