“I saw the hurt on Kyle Larson’s face,” Jeff Gordon said as he narrated the painful tale of Kyle Larson’s loss. Fans knew he didn’t make it, but behind the scenes on the Hendrick Motorsports jet, Yung Money was devastated. “I could feel him letting his team down,” he added. Larson had just lost out on the regular series championship and NASCAR’s crown jewel. Knowing such consequences, who would want to go for the Double? And Jeff Gordon has something to say about it.
A four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon is one of the few legends of American motorsports who revolutionized the sport during his tenure, blending raw talent with charisma that helped elevate NASCAR’s popularity to new heights in the 1990s and early 2000s. Known for his precision, focus, and unmatched consistency behind the wheel of the No. 24 car, Gordon crafted a career that centered on excellence.
Contrasting that with Kyle Larson, known for his ability to hop into any type of car, from dirt Sprint car to Cup cars and even open-wheel races, being competitive in every one of them. His most audacious attempt to date has been ‘The Double’ — competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. A feat only a few have attempted and even fewer have finished, and Tony Stewart is the only veteran to have completed it successfully.
Gordon is living his dream through Larson, acknowledging the uniqueness of Larson’s capabilities and the different mindset it takes to undertake such a challenge. His reasoning for not attempting the 1,100-mile challenge is grounded in self-awareness and respect for the difficulty of such an endeavor. But what could have caused Gordon to take a step back from achieving this feat?
While it might be uncommon for drivers to dream big in motorsports, many have relinquished that dream to achieve even bigger things. Ushering in a new era of popularity and diversifying NASCAR’s fan base has brought him immense recognition alongside even bigger names like Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart. But despite his widespread efforts, Gordon stuck to the dirt tracks and lower ranks of open-wheel racing, rarely venturing beyond the Cup Series.
In the pre-race interview for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon reflected on the question of whether he ever considered attempting ‘The Double’ during his career, offering a thoughtful and candid answer. “There aren’t many Kyle Larsons. I was always the type of driver where I was very laser-focused on one team, one car, one kind of goal and it’s just the way that my mindset, my efforts were,” said Gordon. “There’s a reason why I didn’t go back and forth and run Sprint cars and midgets and other types of cars and it just wasn’t the thing that I did throughout my career, other than when I was trying to make it into NASCAR.”
TALLADEGA, AL – APRIL 23: Jeff Gordon looks on before the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Geico 500 on April 23, 2023, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, AL. Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire AUTO: APR 23 NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon230423473500
Although much of his career was built along the lines of open-wheel machines, in the 1990s. He won the USAC Silver Crown championship in 1991. But, he knew his path to success was through stock car racing. Gordon transitioned to stock cars, driving a Ford for Bill Davis Racing in the Busch Series. And from there, no looking back. Winning Cup Series titles and competing in the competition were the only things on Gordon’s mind. Although he made it in the #10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley for Wayne Taylor Racing in 2007 at the Rolex Sports Car Series, he did not feel the commitment that he wished he did. His attempt at the 2017 Rolex 24 race came with winning 3rd place in the 24-hour sports car endurance race in his first attempt.
“I wanted to complete the USAC Championship and some of those efforts but once I got here, to me it was just all about this,” said Gordon. “It partly is because I didn’t think that I was as good at jumping in and out of cars, some guys are, just jumping from one team or one car to the next or even maybe getting the opportunity to get a quality enough car to do that.” Before his rise to NASCAR stardom, Jeff Gordon built a formidable reputation in open-wheel racing, where he began racing quarter midgets at the age of five and eventually dominated the United States Auto Club (USAC) driving for Team Rollie Helmling. Heck, he even received an offer from F1 driver Jackie Stewart to get a test run in Europe. But Gordon confused it with a Formula 2 or Formula 3, and didn’t pay much attention to it because of his contract with NASCAR.
The silver lining here is that, although he wasn’t able to switch between different cars and series, seeing Larson do that is just as fulfilling. “I admire the heck out of Kyle for what he is capable of doing, and he does is on such a regular basis, this doesn’t seem that abnormal. Where for me, not doing it would’ve been super stressful, and I don’t knowif I would’ve been successful as he’s been. To only time it became a reality was the 100th anniversary, even then I didn’t put a whole lot of consideration.”
Committing to one car, one team, and one mindset was the ultimate goal. And now, with Kyle Larson attempting the Double a second time, Gordon hopes to give him the best experience on the most difficult milestone any NASCAR driver could ever achieve.
Larson’s second Double attempt is a bit tricky
Last year, the HMS driver piloted the No. 17 Arrow McLaren and made his Indy 500 debut. But, this came at the expense of him missing the start of the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR was furious, and they didn’t grant him a waiver immediately. Although weather played a role in Larson’s decision, it wasn’t a good look for NASCAR as their star driver opted to drive in another series.
Now, the playoff waiver rule has been changed, and drivers are open to race in another series. But there’s a catch. Missing a Cup race would mean that the driver would have to give up all the playoff points they’ve earned in the regular season. And that is a huge loss for any team. Although Larson would want to complete the Double in his second attempt, if the weather plays a role, the message is clear: prioritize the NASCAR race.
“So this time our goal is driver introductions. It’s a tight window regardless, wouldn’t mind, you know, I’d like to see Indianapolis like to start a little earlier and Charlotte start a little later, but so it’s a very tight window. But we have a concrete plan in place and so looking at whether other than just wanting to go smooth and wanting it to be a full race and great day off the right.” Gordon explained.
NASCAR fans will be hoping that this time around, the weather doesn’t play spoilsport to Larson’s attempts, and he is at least able to complete the 1,100 miles.
The post “There Aren’t Many Kyle Larsons”: Jeff Gordon Concedes to Kyle Larson’s Legacy, Confesses Why Never Attempted ‘The Double’ appeared first on EssentiallySports.