Unearthed: Jeff Gordon’s Admiration for “Insane” Kyle Larson Way Before Hendrick Motorsports Signed Him

Sure, Hendrick Motorsports signed Kyle Larson in 2020 during what was arguably the worst period of his career. But objectively speaking, it wouldn’t have been that hard a decision to make.

Especially when you consider the fact that Larson was on HMS’ tabs way before he was donning their badge.

In an interview from back in 2019, Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip spoke about the insane midget race finish that saw Larson take the win. And the way the four-time NASCAR Cup champion spoke of the young driver, you could see the traces of admiration he had for his talent, and his caliber.

“I’ve never seen a finish like that, ever,” Gordon said. “Isn’t it insane? There’s only three cars left.” 

The former HMS driver went on to describe how, in order to get to the bottom of Larson’s love and passion for dirt racing, one simply needs to take a look at his parents. “If he’s not racing, they’re at a dirt track somewhere watching a race and they just love that type of racing,” Gordon added.

“It certainly has taught him a lot, brought out his talent so I think it’s fun to see him.”

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Jeff Gordon’s advice to a young Kyle Larson that left a sour taste in his mouth

In 2011, coming off of a successful season in dirt racing, Kyle Larson had scheduled meetings with many potential teams, including Hendrick Motorsports. A teenage Larson was given a tour of one of his heroes, Jeff Gordon’s shop, by the man himself.

But then Gordon gave Larson a piece of advice, that really soured his mood.

“Everybody knows I love dirt racing, and he’s like, ‘You really need to get out of dirt cars. They’re going to teach you bad habits,’” Larson recalled, as reported by Sports Casting. “I was like, ‘Man, that was a terrible time there at Hendrick.’”

Of course, Kyle Larson neither took the advice nor got the contract at his current team.

He was signed by Chip Ganassi back then, the very team which would fire him nine years later, which would then lead to Rick Hendrick taking his second chance on a driver looking for a second chance.

Read More: Hendrick Motorsports Legend Jeff Gordon Once Revealed What Put a Major Dent in His Pursuit of More “Popular” Sport – IndyCar