One of the favorite pastimes of any sports fan is to talk about the greatest athletes of any generation, and NASCAR is no different. Certain drivers defined their era by incredible performances, but, when we look back on this generation of NASCAR drivers, who will be the best Today, we look at 5 drivers with a case for that argument.
In terms of overall talent, it’s hard to find a better race car driver than Kyle Larson. He will race anywhere at any time, and he usually finishes at or near the front. In terms of his NASCAR success, already locking up 24 wins and a Championship while still only 31 years old is a feat. He has plenty of runway to add to those numbers.
Larson’s aggressive racing style on track and his love of other racing series could hold him back. Larson is known for pushing the envelope with his race car, which leads to overaggressive mistakes such as his pit road crash at Homestead in 2023. Larson has also publicly talked about his love of dirt racing, and how that will impact his NASCAR commitment as he creeps up in age remains to be seen. Still, Larson is an incredible talent who will be in NASCAR for the foreseeable future.
Kyle Busch has the best overall resume of any Cup Series driver currently with 63 wins and 2 Championships. While his prime was before the turn of the decade, he remains a threat every week and will likely be known as the best driver of the 2010s. There is just one last thing that eludes him on his resume.
Busch is without a Daytona 500 win despite close calls in 2007, 2019, and 2023. While it won’t knock him down too far, it will always be an asterisk on his racing career. Kyle Busch has set the current standard for other drivers to beat.
Sure, Elliott has struggled recently, but, he’s still an 18-time winner and Cup Series Champion. He also drives for the top team in the sport, Hendrick Motorsports. He’s already built a Hall of Fame-caliber career, and he still has at least a decade if not more left in the tank.
Elliott’s biggest hurdle will be his teammates. Kyle Larson is already staking his claims in both NASCAR and motorsports history, and Elliott is no longer the undisputed number 1 driver at HMS. If he’s not tops on his team, then how can he be tops in this era?
Denny Hamlin has the second most wins of any driver currently with 52, and he has bagged 3 Daytona 500 wins. Even without a Championship, that’s more than enough to lock him into the Hall of Fame.
However, he remains without a Championship trophy. As long as his career continues without it, it will keep Hamlin from ascending further up the ladder. He’s a great race car driver, but, without a Championship, is he an “All-Time Great”?
William Byron is still very young, but, the incredible 2023 season he put together drew the eyes of many. After years of being solid but not quite breaking out, he finally showed everyone what he was capable of. He currently has 11 wins including a Daytona 500 triumph on his mantle.
Still, it’s too early for Byron to be included in this conversation definitively. He still has not quite reached the heights of teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, but, the potential is absolutely there.
Joey Logano is the only driver aside from Kyle Busch to have captured multiple Championships in the modern Playoff era (since 2014). That’s a feat, especially with how close the fields are today. A total of 32 wins is nothing to sneeze at either.
However, Logano may be too inconsistent to be considered for this honor. While he has Championship seasons, he also missed the Playoffs entirely in 2017, and he was bounced in the Round of 16 in 2023. For every great year, it seems there’s a tough year right around the corner.
Like Byron, this is another potential pick. Blaney has a Championship, and he has the runway left on his career to compile even more impressive numbers. Still, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Blaney.
The Championship he won in 2023 was primarily due to a ferocious Playoff run. If he can compete better in the regular season and compile some wins, he will build a better argument. However, with a Championship in hand, the potential is there.
Which of these drivers will be considered the best of their generation? Time will ultimately tell.
