Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott chooses the NASCAR GOAT

Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott are two young NASCAR drivers who have the potential to be among the all-time greats before they retire.


Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott chooses the NASCAR GOAT

Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson

Choosing the Greatest Athlete of all Time in any sports discipline is one of the hardest jobs, and in Motorsports, the task becomes much harder. In NASCAR, there are three clear candidates from three different generations and phases of the sport in contention. Seven times Cup champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson top the list, and there hasn’t been any driver after them that has broken into the top 3 brackets.

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 NASCAR’s winningest driver Petty makes a solid claim with his 200 race wins. The first driver to secure 7 championships, Petty’s pioneer status gives him an edge in some conversations. Dale sr represents NASCAR’s development into a competitive sport where the races became more about the driver’s quality than the car. He played a major role in NASCAR’s Road to prominent fame. Jimmie Johnson dominated the sport when it was at its peak of fame and competitiveness.  

So, choosing among the three is hard while keeping one bias aside. Recently Hendrick Motorsports Cup championship-winning drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson were asked, during the LA Clash at the Colosseum media availability, which they consider the GOAT of the sport. They both chose former HMS driver Jimmie Johnson and claimed that his 5 consecutive Cup wins are overlooked.

 “I think my goat would be Jimmie [Johnson]. 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,” says Kyle Larson.

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 “I would agree. And I was going to mention the five in a row. I know the seven he’s talked about a lot, but that five-in-a-row thing doesn’t get talked about enough, in my opinion. I know the format was different, but it makes it a little more possible to do. But still, that’s a tall order. That’s pretty impressive,” added Chase Elliott.

Related: “Baptism by fire”- NASCAR Twitter reacts to Ty Gibbs Car catching on fire during LA Clash qualifying

Larson and Elliott might face Jimmie Johnson in the 2023 Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson, Noah Gregson and Erik Jones
Jimmie Johnson, Noah Gregson, and Erik Jones

Jimmie Johnson is set to make his NASCAR Cup series return in 2023 with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. He joins Richard Petty as co-owner of Petty GMS Racing, which was rebranded after he joined the team. He will drive the No:84 car and partake in the qualifiers to secure entry into the final race in the open-charter slots.

Johnson retired from the sport in 2020, handing over the keys of the No:48 team to Alex Bowman. He spent his last two years in the IndyCar series driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He had an average season in the series but couldn’t secure the win.

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Alongside mentoring LMC drivers Noah Gregson and Erik Jones, JJ also will lead Garage 56 on 24 Hours of LeMans. Garage 56 is a NASCAR and HMSD joint venture hoping to market the sport internationally. The next-Gen car will face the endurance challenge in June.

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