Gordon: Larson is a “great champion” in the NASCAR Cup Series

Hendrick Motorsports produced Hall of Fame NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon, so he understands firsthand the talented drivers the team can create.

Kyle Larson, the 2021 series winner, has done “great things” in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, according to four-time NASCAR Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

Gordon returned to Hendrick in a formal role as vice-chairman of the organization in June this year after a brief time as a TV analyst with Fox Sports following his racing career.

Following his NASCAR ban in 2020 for using a racial slur over the radio at a public iRacing event, Gordon, along with team owner Rick Hendrick, played a key part in bringing Kyle Larson on board as one of the team’s full-time Cup drivers this season.

Larson repaid their faith by winning 10 of the 36 races he competed in this season, including the series title in his first year with the #5 team at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.

“Kyle Larson is a great talent. You give him a great race car and great race teams and he does amazing things,” Gordon said.

“We’ve seen it before, seen it in other forms of racing. He and this pit crew and this team, they did it all year long. They got to this point.

“What a battle. I just want to say Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR and all these fans that came out here today, this is what a championship weekend is supposed to feel like, and that was a championship battle.

“Great competitors and a great champion here.”

Larson’s triumph was a team effort, as he took the lead for the final time in the race thanks to a three-position gain during a pit stop under the final caution.

Larson had to stave off three significant attempts from Martin Truex Jr when the race restarted on Lap 289 of 312 to secure his 10th victory of the season and the championship.

“It was a total team effort not just from the whole season but from the whole weekend, how they prepared to go qualify and get that lap to win the pole, get the #1 pit stall, and they had great (pit) stops all day long,” Gordon said.

“An unfortunate caution that got them behind and then another one that helped him get another opportunity, and I think I heard it was like the second best (pit) stop of the entire year.

“That’s what championship teams do.”

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