"Always had a ton of respect for him": Jeff Gordon on working with IndyCar legend for Kyle Larson's Indy 500 attempt

The partnership of Kyle Larson and the Hendrick Motorsports outfit in the NASCAR realm traverses into the IndyCar paddock during the Indy 500. With Tony Kanaan now leading the McLaren outfit, HM vice chairman Jeff Gordon revealed how he had tons of respect for the Brazilian IndyCar champion ahead of collaborating with him.

Larson had attempted The Double last year by trying to compete at the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. With the small window available to drivers to move between the two venues, closing down due to weather concerns, the HM driver prioritized staying in Indianapolis to make his debut Indy 500 start.

While he eventually came home to finish 18th after a disappointing race, his eagerness to attempt the double duty remained clear. With HM and Arrow McLaren joining hands yet again for another year, Kyle Larson will get his chance to get the dub at the Indy 500.

Moreover, HM personnel will follow their star driver to the Indy 500 and collaborate with their IndyCar counterparts. With prior relationships between the two teams' senior figures already in place, Gordon opened up on the prospect of partnering up with Tony Kanaan in the latest episode of the Pitt Pass Indy podcast.

"Zak Brown and I have been friends for a long time and we've done business together. And then, TK, seeing Tony Kanaan kind of get himself into a position maybe similar to mine at Hendrick and work with him; we have been friends for long time, I've always had a ton of respect for him. Worked with him last year, but now we are working much closer together." (17:15 onwards).

However, Kyle Larson's decision to prioritize staying in Indianapolis did not go well with NASCAR leadership. They took a considerable amount of time to approve the waiver he required to participate in the playoffs for the 2024 season, a tussle that Larson would not want to repeat this year.

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What did Kyle Larson have to say after a dismal Indy 500 debut?

The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Meanwhile, Larson's Indy 500 debut did not end up well. Though he started on the second row and led the race at one point, the luck was not in his favor as he earned himself a speeding penalty for driving too fast in the pit lane.

This plummeted him down the pecking order, and he eventually finished 18th. Reflecting on a disappointing debut, Kyle Larson said in May last year (via NASCAR)

"I feel like I learned a lot throughout the race. I made a couple of mistakes early, but felt like I did a really good job on the restarts. … Obviously, I smoked a left-front or something on the green-flag stop and killed our opportunity. I’m proud to finish, but I’m pretty upset at myself. I just could have executed a better race. You never know what could have happened."

Larson is slated to make his second start at the Indy 500 on May 25 and will be looking for a better result this time, with the lessons from his maiden start behind him.