Jeff Gordon was all too happy to welcome Kyle Larson into the multi-time NASCAR Cup Series championship club on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway.
Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, celebrated with, and for, Larson in multiple ways. The first being as a teammate and friend, and the second as one of the drivers that Larson admitted he would like to match, if not surpass, one day in the champions list. Gordon has four championships, and Tony Stewart, the other driver Larson mentioned, has three.
Larson is now a two-time champion.
“I have the utmost respect for his abilities behind the wheel, and couldn’t be (prouder) of the effort that Rick [Hendrick] put into bringing him to Hendrick Motorsports,” Gordon said. “I’ve known Kyle for many, many years, watching him race sprint cars, and I always knew that if you can put him behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports car, he’d do special things. I also believe that records and championships, they’re made to be broken.
“As long as he’s on our team, I want him to win 10.”
Hendrick signed Larson to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet beginning with the 2021 season. In the first year of their partnership, Larson won 10 points races plus the All-Star Race and the championship. Over the following three years, Larson, Cliff Daniels, and the team won 13 races while finishing seventh, second, and sixth in the championship.
It has taken Larson five years with Hendrick Motorsports to win two championships and 26 races.
“He and I have a good relationship because I think being from California, close to one another with Elk Grove and Vallejo, and the sprint car stuff,” Gordon said. “We’ve built a good friendship. You motivate people in different ways. He motivates himself in measuring and looking at what’s the next goal, the trophy, the championship. I use it for him, too.
“I’m like, ‘Buddy, you got three to go. You’re only at one. You got to get to two before you can get to three and before you can get to four.’ We have a standing joke about, ‘C’mon, come and get it.’ I hope he gets it and plenty more after that.”
Phoenix Raceway hosted the Cup Series championship for the sixth time on Sunday. Hendrick Motorsports won three of the six championships decided there between Chase Elliott (2020) and Larson (2021, 2025).
