Jeff Gordon revisits Indianapolis' influence on his motorsports career as HMS joins Indy 500 action

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon reminisced about the time before his prolific racing career which led to him becoming one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. Gordon is currently at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Kyle Larson's qualifying attempt in the Indy 500 later this month.

Larson, the #5 Chevy driver for Hendrick Motorsports, will debut in the Indy 500 piloting the #17 Arrow McLaren in partnership with HMS. According to Gordon, the former #24 driver turned vice chairman for Hendrick Motorsports, this is a "dream come true" to compete in the Indy 500.

In a conversation with IndyCar on NBC, Gordon said:

"I feel like Indianapolis is what made me a fan of motorsports as a kid, even in California between sprint car racing and the Indianapolis 500, that's what drew me in and made me really want to be a race car driver."

The 52-year-old revisited his time before becoming a NASCAR driver and elaborated on the same.

"And as a kid came here, so I've been here before a long time ago, I was able to drive the Pace car here a few years back, and it is just special. When you live in Indiana, you race around Indiana, it becomes that much more hollow ground. And so, yeah, that dream didn't come true in an Indy car, but it came true in a Brickyard 400 in a stock car," Gordon said.

The retired NASCAR legend also talked about his racing career at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He had a record five triumphs and three pole positions and is the most successful driver in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 race at Indianapolis.

"This is another dream come true, getting Rick Hendrick, Kyle Larson, and just all of Hendrick Motorsports involved in this amazing event. And we hope we get qualified in and we get to go have a fun weekend next week," Gordon added.

---

Jeff Gordon is living the dream through Kyle Larson

2021 Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson is set to attempt a "double duty" running the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day (May 26) at Indianapolis and Charlotte Motor Speedway, respectively. This will mark his debut in the Indy500 race.

A total of four drivers have performed the double duty. John Andretti was the first in 1994, followed by Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. Tony Stewart is the only driver to complete the 1100 miles in a single day during his time. Larson would be the fifth to attempt the "Double".

Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon at the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2021.

Jeff Gordon is seemingly living his dream of competing in the Indy Series through Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson at Indianapolis.