Andrew Ravens · MotorBiscuit Sat, November 14, 2026 at 10:40 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kyle Larson says Tony Stewart is the driver he shaped his career on, and that matching Stewart's three NASCAR Cup titles still doesn't feel real.
Larson talked about Jeff Gordon , Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart with Carla Metts on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio .
Larson grew up idolizing all three, and he started with Gordon, now the vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports.
"Yeah, I think for me, Jeff is like our boss, which is weird, but he's also, more than that," Larson said. "He's a friend."
"I think, if I had to pick one guy, he's the guy that I looked up to the most as a kid. I mean, I went to my first day of kindergarten, dressed head to toe in Jeff Gordon shorts, shirt, backpack, all of it," he said.
"So to get to work with him now is great, and to get to try to catch him someday in some categories is great," Larson said.
Gordon said this week that he is pretty confident Larson will pass his four titles.
Johnson, a seven-time champion, kept in touch with Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels throughout the Chase.
"He would text Cliff and I every pre-race or post-race, just pulling for us sort of thing or good job, keep it up. So that is special to me because he has accomplished so much and you can tell that he sees a lot of himself in Cliff and I and him and Chad," Larson said.
Chad Knaus was Johnson's crew chief for all seven of his titles. Johnson is preparing for his final Cup start in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21, 2027.
Stewart, who won Cup titles in 2002, 2005 and 2011, is the driver Larson modeled himself after.
"So to be now on a list with Tony, it feels really good to me because, I would say, he's kind of who I shaped my driving style and career path off of, I feel like the most," Larson said.
Larson said Stewart texted him after the title. He also saw a piece Stewart narrated for NBC's broadcast.
"I think they played a piece on TV that he narrated. So I got to see that; that was really cool and definitely got me choked up," Larson said.
Larson noted that Gordon and Stewart both came from dirt racing, but Stewart never stopped racing outside NASCAR. He said that is what drew him to Stewart, who kept racing IndyCar, sprint cars and midgets after reaching NASCAR.
"When I think of like the best race car drivers in the world, the most versatile race car drivers in the world, you got Mario, A.J., and Tony," Larson said, referring to Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt. "And those are the guys that I wanted to be like someday."
Larson now has as many Cup titles as Stewart, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Joey Logano. Metts pointed that out to him.
"Yeah, it's surreal. Like I just did an interview back there, and I got to see the list finally. And it just doesn't seem real to me," Larson said.
"Like, how and why is my name on the same list as those guys who've just done so much for the sport and are Hall of Famers? It's wild to me," he said.
"So I think as I get probably days removed from right now, it'll soak in and I'll appreciate it even more than I already do. But in the time being, it feels like I'm in some sort of dream, kind of being on the list of those guys," Larson said.
Larson clinched his third title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has kept racing outside NASCAR too, including two Indianapolis 500 starts and a steady schedule of dirt racing .
Source: Sports
