“Wasn’t the prettiest one”: Jeff Gordon reflects on Kyle Larson’s ‘wild’ NASCAR championship chase

NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 - Source: Getty
Hall of Fame driver and TV commentator Jeff Gordon congratulates Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Metro Tech Chevrolet, after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600, Hendrick Motorsports' 269th Cup Series win, the most in NASCAR, at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 30, 2021 - Source: Getty

Jeff Gordon was thrilled at how things played out at Phoenix for Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team. Larson wasn’t the most dominant driver all day, but that last caution, caused by his teammate William Byron spinning out, changed everything.

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Larson was placed fifth for the following restart, while Denny Hamlin, a fellow championship contender, was placed second. Hamlin’s No. 11 was on four fresh tires, but Larson’s No. 5 seemed to have more grip.

After a two-lap shootout to the finish line, Larson was able to capture a third-place finish, the highest among the four championship drivers. Hamlin, on the other hand, salvaged a P6.

For the first time in the 11-year history of the elimination-style playoffs, a driver won the NASCAR Cup Series title despite leading no laps. What Kyle Larson gave Hendrick Motorsports was its 15th championship at the Cup level. The win came 30 years after Jeff Gordon clinched the first title for the Concord, North Carolina-based organization.

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“So much reminiscing that Rick and I get to do about going back to that first championship and the trajectory it sent this company on, and the experiences, and just the people that have built it to what it is today,” said Jeff Gordon in a recent interview at Phoenix. “And what a way to do it! I mean, just never quit, just all the way down to the last lap. You know, it wasn't the prettiest one that we've ever accomplished.”
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Jeff Gordon, who drove the No. 24 (now driven by William Byron) full-time for Hendrick Motorsports from 1993 to 2015, currently serves as the Vice Chairman for the team.


“I want him to win 10”- Jeff Gordon comes clean on his expectations for Kyle Larson

Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion, was happy for Kyle Larson, who became the 18th driver in the series history to win multiple Cup Series championships. He didn’t hold back at all while showering praise on the Elk Grove native and even admitted what he wants Larson to achieve as long as he is with Hendrick Motorsports.

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Kyle Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports back in 2021 and won his first Cup Series championship that year itself. He is also a successful sprint car racer and competes regularly in sprint car races across the U.S.

“I've known Kyle for many, many years, watching him race sprint cars, and I always knew that if you can put him behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports car, he'd do special things,” Jeff Gordon said of Larson. “I also believe that records and championships, they're made to be broken. As long as he's on our team, I want him to win 10.”

No driver has brought Hendrick Motorsports more championships than Jimmie Johnson, who currently co-owns Legacy Motor Club, another team competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Although winning seven championships in the NextGen era is a big deal, winning his second title put Kyle Larson on the path.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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