"I literally went to him as a friend": When Rick Hendrick reflected on reaching out to Kyle Larson during tough times

NASCAR team owner, Rick Hendrick talked about the process of hiring Kyle Larson after his suspension through friendly talks, about five years ago.

Larson was indefinitely suspended for using a racial slur during an iRacing event in April 2020. His previous team, Chip Ganassi Racing also fired him and his sponsorships were terminated. Larson later returned to the Cup Series in 2021 with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS).

HMS's owner Hendrick shared that he reached out to him "as a friend" in a 2020 interview.

"I literally went to him as a friend because we’ve developed a relationship and I knew he was going through a tough time. As time went on, I found out what he was doing and what he was doing to help and do so many things," Rick Hendrick said (NY Times).

He further mentioned that he saw Larson trying to make things right.

"I had to be careful; I wouldn’t do something that would hurt our company, our name, our brand, so that was important to me. But after seeing what he was doing, he just laid his heart out for everybody. To do some of the things that he’s done, I think it takes a man to admit, ‘Hey, I did something terrible, and I want to make it right. I’m going to learn,'" Hendrick added.

Larson was signed to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for HMS and won his first championship in 2021.

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"I never thought I was taking a risk" - Rick Hendrick on giving a second chance to Kyle Larson

In 2021, Rick Hendrick talked about how hiring Kyle Larson was never a risky decision because he knew Larson was talented and worked hard.

Larson won his first race with Hendrick Motorsports in the 2021 season's fourth race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He later won several more races and had a three-race winning streak during the playoffs. Larson finished the season with a win at Phoenix and became the first driver since 2007 to win 10 races and the championship in the same year.

"Well, I tell you, we've always known he's a wheel man, and he worked so hard off the track. Man, I just he deserves this. And what a year! Man, I am so proud of everyone at Chevrolet, and Lloyd Royce did so much for General Motors," Rick Hendrick said.

"I never thought I was taking a risk. I mean, I know how good he is, and I'm just fortunate we were able to get him. And man, what a real man he is! Ten races, 11 with the All-Star race... so, I mean, it's unbelievable," he added.

Larson collected 20 top-five and 26 top-ten finishes and had an average finish of 9.1 that season.