“We Made a Commitment to Him…”—Jeff Gordon on the Kyle Larson Effect at Hendrick Motorsports That Bent Rick Hendrick and Benefitted Chase Elliott

There’s no denying that Kyle Larson is a one-of-a-kind racecar driver simply because he isn’t limited to a closed bracket. There’s so much more to him than NASCAR and there’s so much more to him than dirt racing. And soon, there will potentially be so much more to him than IndyCar.

Hendrick Motorsports announced a few weeks ago that Larson will be attempting to run the Indy500 next year, something which took many by surprise.

But if Jeff Gordon is to be believed, this was in the making as far back as 2020, when Larson joined Rick Hendrick‘s team. “When Kyle came to Hendrick Motorsports, we made a commitment to him that if you have something you want to race, don’t think that Hendrick Motorsports is going to block it and just say no,” Gordon revealed in an interview with SiriusXM.

“Kyle wanted this. Kyle is the kind of guy, he wants to drive anything and everything as we all know, that’s Kyle.”

Jeff Gordon claims Larson changed the landscape at Hendrick Motorsports

During the same interview, Jeff Gordon was confronted about the earlier norm at HMS that discouraged drivers from taking part in other forms of racing outside NASCAR. This norm, Gordon revealed, has changed, and a lot of credit for that goes to Kyle Larson.

“I’d say Kyle’s made an impact on that. When we started thinking about how do we get Kyle Larson here, he made it very clear, he wants to continue race dirt. And so when we had that conversation with Rick (Hendrick), we were like, that’s not a bad thing,” the Hall of Famer said.

“It turned out to be a great thing because it rallied our folks and our other drivers started to drive in other things too and found that was beneficial to them.”

WATCH THIS STORY: “Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr Were Both at Risk..” Hendrick Motorsports Legends’ Shortcomings Paved the Way for Controversial NASCAR System

Kyle Larson is eyeing an F1 Test in future

Trending

Michael Jordan’s Opponent’s Warning Comes True as Roger Penske Shuts Down NASCAR’s Infiltration

Brad Keselowski’s Trump Card Move Could Be a Career-Altering Transfer for Tony Stewart’s Underwhelming Driver

Tony Stewart & Co’s Desperate Bargain Offer to $19.2 Billion Partner Amid NASCAR Exit Leaves Fans Baffled

Ex-SHR Employee Spills Harsh Truth About Tony Stewart’s NASCAR Ownership After Rare Appearance in Phoenix

Injury-Scarred Dale Jr. Slams NASCAR’s Phoenix Obsession After Joe Gibbs’ Grandson’s Dangerous Crash

Having earned great success in stock cars, dirt cars, and late-model cars, and soon potentially in IndyCar, Kyle Larson has his eyes set on Formula 1 in the future. Now, of course, there are certain realities of competing in F1, but Larson just wants to get in on a test with McLaren.

“I would love to [test an F1 car]…that’s something I have to wager…that would be so cool if I could get the chance to just test an F1 car,” Larson said as per Yahoo Sports. “If I could race in Formula 1 someday, that would be unbelievable. It’s probably not realistic, but heck, who knows?”

But as of now, all Larson is concerned about regarding his proximity to F1 is getting the passes to the Las Vegas race. “That’s kind of all I care about,” he added.

Also Read: After Threatening to Lead a Breakaway Series, Jeff Gordon & Michael Jordan’s Agent Might Finally Reach Middle Ground With NASCAR