Kevin Harvick says Kyle Larson is the best young NASCAR driver since Jeff Gordon

Add Kevin Harvick’s name to the list that includes Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart who believe 24-year-old Kyle Larson will be one of NASCAR’s future superstars — if he isn’t already — and possesses the talent to be regarded as one of the sport’s great drivers.

“Kyle Larson is the best driver to come into this sport since Jeff Gordon, in my opinion. I think Kyle Larson is that good,” Harvick said Tuesday night on the debut of his new show airing on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “He’s just a kid that not enough people know about — but he has won and wins in everything he’s ever driven. He’s just a racer.”

Comparing Larson to Gordon, who drove full-time from 1993 to 2015, is heady praise considering Gordon won four Cup Series championships and whose 93 wins ranks third all time, but it’s something Larson has should almost be used to by now. Similar to Gordon and Stewart, Larson begin his career racing sprint cars and as he quickly progressed up the ladder he earned acclaim as a driver who would go on to accomplish great things.

Larson was named the Cup Series Rookie of the Year award in 2014 and after breaking through and winning his first race last August, he started this season with one win and three second-place finishes in the first five races. He currently leads the series standings by 29 points over Chase Elliott, 21, another promising young driver who many have pegged for greatness.

One of the reasons Harvick believes Larson is different from other young drivers is his maturity level, something Harvick attributes to Larson having a longtime girlfriend and a young son.

“He’s just one of those guys who loves to race, but he’s kind of got his stuff together more because he’s got to have everything in line,” Harvick said. “I think kids, wives, girlfriends help keep some of us (grounded). He’s laser-focused on what he does as a racecar driver, and I think he’s the best talent to come through this sport in a long, long time.”

So talented is Larson in Harvick’s estimation that he wouldn’t be surprised if one of the sport’s bigger teams attempted to sign him away from Chip Ganassi Racing. It is unclear how long Larson’s contract runs with CGR, but he has said previously that he is grateful toward Chip Ganassi for giving him a chance at a time when he didn’t have many options due to a lack of funding.

“He’s that good,” Harvick said. “I hope Ganassi has a good contract with him — because every team in the garage wants a Kyle Larson. He’s a guy you can put in your race cars and win races. Even on a day when your race car is not that good, he’s going to make you look good.”