After the regular season finale at the Daytona Speedway, Kyle Larson was one of the top picks for the championship 4. The No. 5 driver backed that bet up with his scintillating finishes in the first three races of the playoffs. But in a turn of luck that followed, he crashed out of the race in Texas and finished P15 in Talladega, creating a mountain for himself to climb at the Roval. Making the ordeal more mentally challenging was the fact that he’d crashed on this track last year.

Going into Charlotte over the weekend, Larson’s edginess was on full display after he crashed his Camaro yet again in practice. He followed that up with a P13 finish in the race. Following the nervy set of events, Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman expressed his admiration for the driver and showcased his moral support.

Jeff Gordon doesn’t believe his No. 5 driver would “change his approach”

After the 109 laps at the Roval, Gordon answered questions from reporters. Amidst the back and forth, he rejected the idea of having a conversation with Larson that would ask him to “dial down” his emotions a bit. Jeff Gordon said he believes his team has got a great shot at the championship. Continuing on that line and citing the practice lap scenes and the Texas crash as examples, one of the journalists asked, “Is there any consideration of maybe having to talk to Kyle? Maybe kind of dial it back just a smidge?”

While Gordon acknowledged that the idea of having that talk with the driver did come to him, he also explained that it would not do any good. The HMS legend answered, “That’s not Kyle Larson. You know he pushes hard. He’s aggressive. That’s why he does the things he does on restarts, why he wins races. So to me, you can have the conversations… But to me, you also… you can’t change his approach.” 

While many see Larson’s attitude as a vulnerability, Gordon has expressed views that believe that it to be his very strength. Throwing himself behind Larson’s back, he went on to praise the driver for his will to show up and be there for his team regardless of what his mindset was.

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Kyle Larson’s will and the No. 5 team’s energy has Jeff Gordon in awe

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After Larson’s Camaro crashed in practice, his team had put in the extra hours on Saturday to get their backup vehicle ready for the race. Their diligence allowed the driver to compete and finalise his seat in the round of 8. Despite the positive outcome that came out of everything, Larson had been pretty frustrated with himself after the crash. As reported by NBC Sports, he’d said, “I was upset at myself that I crashed, obviously, but I was more upset that all those mechanics and people probably have been looking forward to the only Saturday at home all year long and they’re spending it at the shop until three in the morning. So, I was just embarrassed and upset.”

When a reporter asked Gordon about Larson’s frustration after the crash, the legend explained how his driver’s mind worked. Spelling out that Larson takes it hard on himself only because he is so competitive, Gordon also spoke of his ability to recover quickly. He continued, “But, you know, it doesn’t take him long to kind of move on and move past that. (…) When you get over there to the shop and see the energy of the team… You know, what they were doing to go battle. You know, to get it done today. That to me is what I’m probably most proud of and Kyle being over there, being present and being a part of that… I think was very important.”

Larson’s reactions to his practice crashes are something that can be empathised with. But the No. 5 crew have got a herculean task on their hands. Should they make it to the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway next month, they will need more than just the appreciation of their vice chairman. Larson’s next race at Las Vegas will be around the corner in no time. Staying true to Gordon’s words, the driver will have to recover and bounce back quickly.

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