A Week Kyle Larson Will Never Forget
Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
As weeks go, Kyle Larson had a pretty good one last week.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver won a sprint car championship on Tuesday, completed the Rookie Orientation Program for next year’s Indianapolis 500 on Thursday, then locked himself into NASCAR’s Cup Series championship four with a win in the South Point 400 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“Yeah, it’s been a memorable week. A little bit maybe crazier than normal. But my weeks stay pretty crazy. It felt pretty normal in a way.
“It was awesome, obviously, to close out the High Limit Championship on Tuesday at Lincoln Park (Speedway, Greencastle, IN). From there, get focused on driving an Indycar for the first time. That all went really smooth and was an awesome experience getting to do something I’ve dreamt of for a long time, that’s just make laps in an Indycar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Yeah, the ROP went great. Came here to Vegas knowing we were going to have a car capable of winning and was able to get the job done with a lot of luck along the way. Just a cool week and one that I’ll definitely never forget.”
Kyle Larson during the Rookie Orientation Program at the Indianapolis Motor Speed (Photo by Walt Kuhn, Penske Entertainment)
Five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon, now vice-chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, shared his feelings about Larson’s first Indycar laps aboard the joint Hendrick Motorsports Arrow McLaren entry for the 2024 “500”, an opportunity that never came his way.
“Yeah, hard not to really get excited for this opportunity for Kyle. Somewhere deep inside wish I had gotten an opportunity.
“But I'm absolutely having a blast watching Kyle go through this process, seeing Rick (Hendrick) here in Indianapolis, a part of an Indycar going around, being an owner and sponsor in this event. It will be his first time witnessing this event at the same time. I'm so excited to see it through that lens.
“There's been a lot of discussions, a lot of planning, and today we're really seeing it unfold in reality. To go out there and see what Arrow McLaren did, as well, to just get Kyle up to speed and through the test was great.
“On the other hand,” Gordon continued, “Kyle, watching him in his craft, his element. I could tell he was a little bit nervous. My palms were sweating before he got out on track, as well. Immediately you just see it click when he made those first few laps and went into Kyle Larson mode of how do I get up to speed, go fast.
“He doesn't want to just come here and compete, he wants to come here and compete competitively.”
Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson (Photo by Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment )
The Indy entry is a big deal for Hendrick, but so is winning another NASCAR Cup Series title. According to Gordon, the people and depth of the Hendrick organization make the NASCAR and Indy 500 effort possible.
“Getting Mr. Hendrick here, his schedule, to work around, he's a busy guy, I think it shows how much he cares about this experience, supporting Kyle.
“For Kyle, that guy is off racing all the time. He's all over the place. The team is well-prepared. He and (crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) have been prepping and planning for this weekend. They're very well-prepared for this next round. Feel very good about this next round.
“The last round, that was the nerve-wracking one. We saw it all the way down to the final lap at the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) Roval.
“From our standpoint, we're fortunate to have enough people and depth at our organization to be able to prepare for what's ahead and really make sure that's the priority and the focus for the company, to go win a championship this year, get through this next playoff round and go to Phoenix, but also be up here and be able to enjoy a day like today.”
(Photo courtesy of Hendrick Automotive Group / Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team)
“This is a big deal for us and the company, everyone involved,” Hendrick added. “We want to do it right. We don't want to come up here and stub our toe. We know how hard it is.
“Thank goodness we are teamed with someone like Arrow McLaren, watching the professionalism out there, just the tools and techniques they use.
“This is very, very important to us, no different than Garage 56 (Le Mans entry). When we said we were going to do it, we spent a year, whatever it took, to do it. Although we don't have as much to do in this situation as we did in that one, but still we want to look the part, be the part, and put our best efforts into it.”
Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Despite the Indy 500 project, NASCAR’s Cup Series is still Hendrick Motorsports’ top priority.
While he doesn’t have the same number of race wins that he did in his Cup Series championship season, Larson is getting familiar vibes from 2021.
“Honestly, it feels very similar. I mean, I know in the win column it doesn’t show that, but sheer speed and stuff, I feel like we’ve been very similar to where we were in 2021. We’ve probably contended for as many wins as we did then. It’s just tougher. These Next Gen races are tougher to win than back then is all.
“In a lot of ways it feels similar. I’ve said that all along, since the beginning of the year, this feels very similar to 2021. Thankfully we’re in position like we were in 2021. Hopefully we can cap it off like we did then, too.”
So, just how good of a driver is Larson? Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion, says Larson is better than he was.
“Yes. I’m glad I didn’t have to race (him). I got my butt kicked by one guy at Hendrick Motorsports that was my teammate,” Gordon said referring to Jimmie Johnson. “I didn’t need to have two of ’em.
“I mean, you take a guy like Kyle and his capabilities, his talent. He’s impressed me with his work ethic, too. I wasn’t sure how he approached the Cup Series, especially with Cliff and all the data, all the homework that Cliff gives him, the meetings they have. Cliff is an intense guy and he brings a lot to the table. It’s a lot of information that you have to absorb.
“He stepped up to the plate and has done everything that the organization can possibly ask out of him and then some. It’s been a great relationship.”
Kyle Larson at speed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Photo by Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment)
Once upon a time, you didn’t see Hendrick Motorsports drivers racing outside of the Cup and Xfinity Series. But according to Hendrick, Larson’s made him have second thoughts on that philosophy.
“We always did not want them in anything other than a Cup car or Xfinity car. When I first started talking to Kyle, he convinced me that it made him sharper.
“One of the shows I watched, they had a clip on Kyle Larson crashes. I called him. He said, You weren't supposed to see that.
“No, I think it does make our guys -- it helps them. William (Byron) has followed in his steps, run other cars. Chase (Elliott), too. Alex (Bowman) got hurt this year, a pretty bad example. Alex gets hurt in a car, he's done racing those cars. Then Chase gets hurt on a snowboard. They've got to have a life.
“Jeff and I have talked about it. I think it does make him sharper to get in other things and drive 'em. I know one thing, he would be hard to handle if he wasn't in those kind of cars. I'd have more problems with him, I think (smiling).
For his part, Larson considers himself lucky to drive as often as he does in different types of racing.
“I'm just fortunate I get to drive really good race cars in all forms of racing that I compete in with great crew chiefs, car owners. Rick Hendrick, his equipment is as good as it gets. Cliff Daniels, in my opinion, is the best crew chief in the Cup Series. Sprint car stuff. Paul Silva is the best team owner, greatest crew chief in sprint car racing. Dirt models I run for Kevin Rumley, top of his game, considered the best, if not the best.
“Yeah, I'm just very lucky that I get to be driving these cars. Obviously it takes a lot of hard work on my part, all that, to get to that point. But still, I'm very fortunate to be in the position that I am in all different types of racing.”