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About a decade ago, NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson talked about his first two meetings with Hendrick Motorsports executive Jeff Gordon. Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Gordon was one of the biggest names in racing before his retirement from the sport in 2015. He drove the No. 24 Chevy in the series for over 24 years and ranks third in all-time Cup Series wins behind Richard Petty and David Pearson. Gordon took on a leadership role at HMS in the early 2020s and is now the second-in-command behind Rick Hendrick.
In an October 2015 interview, Larson recalled the day he met Gordon and the second time he talked to him.
"I probably met Jeff for the first time when I was too young to hold my head up -- my mom probably has a picture somewhere. I think the first time I actually met him when he knew who I was, it was at the end of 2011. I had a breakout season in USAC, and I had just signed with Spire (a sports and entertainment management company), and I was going around to meet a lot of teams," Larson said (via Autoweek).
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"One of the stops was Hendrick, and I talked to Jeff Gordon quite a bit. That was definitely cool, and I was a little star-struck, I guess, because it was Jeff Gordon. At that point, I had never met anyone really famous," he added.
Kyle Larson won three United States Auto Club (USAC) races in one night at Eldora Speedway in 2011. He also won two Silver Crown races that year and was named the Rookie of the Year.
"I'm sure he’ll continue to make contributions" - Kyle Larson on Jeff Gordon's impact on NASCAR
Jeff Gordon is one of the most influential drivers in NASCAR. He competed in the series between 1993 and 2015 and helped make NASCAR more popular through his success on the track and several media appearances. Before that, he became well-known for racing on ESPN’s Thursday Night Thunder.
Kyle Larson also spoke about the legendary driver's contributions to the sport during the same interview in 2015.
"He really opened the doors for a lot of new guys outside of the South to make it to the Sprint Cup Series. I’ve always been a Jeff Gordon fan, and it's pretty cool to see all the things he’s done for our sport and, obviously, it's pretty cool to be here racing with him now....He's brought a lot to this sport, and I'm sure he’ll continue to make contributions," Larson said ((via Autoweek).
Gordon retired from full-time racing after the conclusion of the 2015 season, having taken part in 805 Cup Series races over a 25-year period.
