“We’re Changing What We Used to Be Like” – Kyle Larson Reveals “Strict” Rick Hendrick Made Major Policy Change Just for Him

When Kyle Larson joined Hendrick Motorsports late in 2020, not many would have expected him to go on to do what he did in the following season. Yet, apart from adding to Rick Hendrick’s team’s legendary records and statistics, Larson has led a kind of silent revolution inside his team.

The thing is, HMS used to be a team that didn’t allow its drivers to foray into other forms of racing outside of NASCAR. But then Kyle Larson joined and everything changed, something he recently revealed.

Speaking in The Racer’s IndyCar podcast, Larson opened up on his role in changing the culture inside HMS.

“It did use to be strict. I remember,” Larson recalled. “When everything happened with me in 2020 and I had my first initial meeting with Rick, they asked if there’s anything I wanted.”

“I was like, ‘Well, I love racing dirt cars and I want to continue to do that.’ I wasn’t expecting them to be like, ‘Absolutely not. You’re going to focus on this,'” he continued. “They said, ‘We’re open to it. We’re changing what we used to be like.'”

Kyle Larson on how his off-NASCAR activities benefit HMS

With his demands being met by Rick Hendrick, Larson has raced an absurd amount of times in the last few years. He revealed that in 2021; he raced over 90 times, and in 2022, it was over 100.

Now, this could seem like a cause of concern for a rational person, let alone a racing organization that depends so heavily on its drivers. But as Larson pointed out, there’s a silver lining, an advantage that supersedes the risk.

Also Read: Does Kyle Larson Feel He Has an Advantage Over Tony Stewart While Hoping to Surpass His NASCAR-Indy 500 Feat?

“We have less on-track time these days. Ever since COVID, we only get 20 minutes of practice,” he said. “I think they look at it now as a tool for us to stay active behind the wheel and staying sharp.”

“Obviously, there’s risk and danger to it too, but the upside is much higher.”

Jeff Gordon too believes Larson has been the game-changer for Hendrick

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In an interview with SiriusXM, they confronted Jeff Gordon about the earlier norm which Larson spoke about 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.

Jeff Gordon claimed Larson has “made an impact” on that front. From the very beginning, when they hadn’t even signed him, the element of him racing outside NASCAR was very clear. Something he and Rick Hendrick felt wasn’t “a bad thing.”

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