Jeff Gordon gives a four-word response when asked about Kyle Larson’s dominance at Bristol
After Kyle Larson's dominant win in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports Vice-Chairman Jeff Gordon was asked if he ever had a similar performance in his career. Reflecting upon Larson's near-flawless race, the four-time NASCAR Cup champion gave a humble response.
On Sunday, April 13, Kyle Larson led a dominant 411 of 500 laps at the 0.533-mile short track. On lap 40, Larson took the lead from pole-sitter Alex Bowman and never looked back as he swept both stages and cruised to the checkered flag. He finished 2.250 seconds ahead of JGR's Denny Hamlin and denied him his third straight win of the season.
During the post-race press conference, Jeff Gordon recounted if he ever had such a dominant win and said (via Speedwaydigest.com),
"I don't think so"
The result marks Larson's third win at the high-banked track, with his previous outing recording a 462-lap domination in September 2024. When asked if the record surprises him, Gordon replied,
"Not really. I've seen him race so many different type of cars and do extraordinary things and dominate races. To me it's just all about what are the records that he can break or what are the things that he can do next."
In the last round at Darlington Raceway, Larson finished in the tail end at 37th in a 38-car field. The result dropped him to sixth in the rankings. However, his Bristol win bumps him two spots up the standings to land in fourth. As such, the No. 5 driver is currently 42 points shy of championship leader William Byron.
Jeff Gordon reveals conversation with Kyle Larson after missing triple-header sweep at Bristol
For the second time this season, Kyle Larson took part in all three NASCAR Series this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. With wins in the Cup and the Xfinity Series, the 2021 Cup champion fell short of a weekend sweep with a second-place finish in the Truck Series.
His previous attempt at Homestead-Miami saw him similarly miss out in the Xfinity race. Reflecting upon the same, Jeff Gordon shared a conversation he had with Larson.
"I do know how bad he wanted it. I think of Homestead and how close that was. And then this one was so close. But either way, I asked Kyle about it earlier, and he's like, Eh, I didn't have the best truck on Friday, so second was probably the best we could do. So he was looking at it slightly different than I was," Gordon said. (via Speedwaydigest.com)
Jeff Gordon is a four-time NASCAR Cup champion who amassed 93 Cup wins in his career. The record ranks third highest in the all-time list. He retired in 2015 after 25 seasons in the Cup Series with 805 starts and 325 top-five finishes. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports.