"That was A.J. Foyt/Parnelli Jones-like talent": When Kyle Larson earned high praise from legendary Robin Miller 

In his final weekly column in 2021, motorsports journalist Robin Miller left big words for Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who has quickly established himself as one of the modern greats of NASCAR, earned high praise from Miller, who took Larson's name in the same breath as some of the all-time greats.

After being fired and suspended in 2020, Kyle Larson was signed by Hendrick Motorsports. And in his very first season behind the wheel of the #5 car, Larson registered one of the greatest seasons in NASCAR history. Most notably, he won 10 races as well as the Cup championship of 2021.

But a few months before Larson's all-important win in Phoenix, Robin Miller described 'Yung Money' in August.

"A Kyle Larson comes along once every 40 years, and after 53 years of covering open-wheel racing he makes me watch USAC, NASCAR, World of Outlaws and FLO Racing because he’s mesmerizing in traffic or charging to the front. He’s a great kid with good parents, an adorable wife, two kids and a fan following that just keeps growing," Miller wrote, via Racer.com.

Miller stated how Larson swept all three divisions in his first visit to Eldora in 2011. While most it takes a couple of years to get used to the track in Ohio, it took Larson 'two hot-lap sessions.'

Miller added:

"Tony Stewart and I were headed to Victory Lane that weekend. I was still gobsmacked by what I’d just witnessed, and said that was A.J. Foyt/Parnelli Jones-like talent and IndyCar needed to snap him up."

While Larson didn't end up being snapped by IndyCar, as he remains one of the biggest assets of NASCAR, the HMS driver did attempt the Indy 500 earlier this year. Not only did Larson run the 500, he attempted the Double, which meant, that after he finished the Indy 500, he got on a plane and travelled to the Charlotte Motor Speedway to run the Coke 600.

Despite his initial promise and impressive starting position, Kyle Larson didn't manage a noteworthy finish in the Indy 500. As for his result in the Coke 600, the #5 driver didn't even get a chance to put a single lap in because of the weather.

Kyle Larson believes he's better than Max Verstappen as an overall driver

During this year's Knoxville Nationals, Kyle Larson made a big statement about his place in racing on a global level.

The 2021 Cup champion, who has also excelled in several other disciplines of racing over his career, remarked that he believes he's better than 3x Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen as 'an all-around driver.'

"I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver. There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol. There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element," Larson described.

Larson added that knowing he's better than Verstappen gives him 'ease and confidence.' And while he admitted that he'd be second in an open-wheel setup like IndyCar or F1, it's still 'one discipline.'

When it comes to 'everything else,' Kyle Larson was confident of being the best in the world.