Kyle Larson was always a ‘generational talent’. Back in 2011, the Elk Grove native was making a name for himself on dirt tracks and had already won his first USAC sprint car feature and was a four-time winner in the USAC midgets. But the 19-year-old set his sights on a feat that had only been achieved once before, attempting to sweep Eldora Speedway’s 4-Crown Nationals. Following Jack Hewitt’s footsteps, the youngster managed to do the unthinkable at the legendary half-mile oval.

That’s when Larson went from being a bright prospect to a household name. But what made the achievement even more special was being recognized by Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne, who couldn’t help but ring praises after the once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

Kyle Larson credits NASCAR icons for his career liftoff

Kyle Larson knew he had his work cut out for him. Going to Eldora Speedway, the racer clocked the third fastest time in midget qualifying and even led all 25 laps in the No. 67 Keith Kunz Motorsports. In the sprint category, he started in 11th place but quickly gained track positions after the leaders encountered tire problems. By lap 28, the California native overtook leader Dave Darland and finished ahead of Bobby East, Hines, and Hunter Schuerenberg as well. As for the Silver Crown, ‘Yung Money’ took the lead in Lap 5, and didn’t look back, despite withstanding pressure from Jones on multiple restarts.

That proved to be the defining moment in Kyle Larson’s career. Reflecting on how things snowballed, he recalled watching TV the next day at a pizza parlor in Indiana and said on the Never Settle podcast, “They’ve got Wind Tunnel on, they’re playing my highlights. They’re playing different interviews from Tony (Stewart), Jeff (Gordon), Kasey (Kahne), and they were all just talking highly of me. And I was like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy. That’s so cool.’ And dude, that’s really where my career kind of took off.”

Back then, Larson was a development driver for Toyota, and he went to Chicagoland for the playoffs opener. That’s where he met teams under the Japanese manufacturer’s umbrella, and despite some positive talks, nothing materialized. But later that year, he went to Charlotte Motor Speedway and met with every single team, including Chip Ganassi Racing. We all know what happened next. The California-native recalls the conversation like it was just yesterday, saying, “Literally was like a 5-minute conversation, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, okay cool, how do we hire you?’ That was it.”

After just one year in the Xfinity Series, Kyle Larson was promoted to NASCAR’s top tier, where he spent six full seasons with the No. 42 Chevy. However, the racer hasn’t forgotten what contributed to his meteoric rise in the sport, and gave credit where it’s due. “I definitely think that those guys talking highly of me really, really helped my career. That was just a cool, cool moment,” Larson said. That was some big praise indeed, and well deserved, given what the racer achieved at the tender age of 19 at one of the most challenging tracks in the United States.

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Tony Stewart praises Larson’s talent

Many feel Kyle Larson is Tony Stewart’s natural successor. After all, both drivers are incredibly versatile and have attempted the iconic ‘double’ twice. While ‘Smoke’ succeeded where Larson failed, completing both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on the same day, it does go to show that when it comes to racing ability, both drivers are cut from the same cloth. ‘Yung Money’ might not have that edge, or a bad-boy phase like Stewart did back in the day, but he’s a clinical performer who can dominate racetracks in any vehicle.

Even though Stewart has three Cup Series championships to his name, he said, “Kyle Larson is better than I was.” That’s some big praise for the Indiana-native, who has been there and done that over the years. He went on to say, “I remember watching him during the first time he ran the 4-Crown Nationals, and won all three races, in his first time racing here. This isn’t the easiest place to come to for your first time and for him to take a Midget, and a Sprint Car, and a Silver Crown and just dominate in the fashion that he did.”

Smoke’s logic is simple. With technological improvements, the competition is fiercer than it has ever been. But even in such challenging circumstances, Kyle Larson has dominated across different motorsports disciplines. “You just plug him in the car, send him off, and he’ll figure it out very naturally,” Stewart said. Well, it’s hard to disagree with that. Do you think Larson is better than Tony Stewart used to be in his prime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!