Jeff Gordon: Kyle Larson’s attempt, Rick Hendrick’s involvement in Indianapolis 500 a ‘dream come true’

Jeff Gordon is at Indianapolis for Kyle Larson’s qualifying attempt for the Indianapolis 500, and he’s taking it all in.

The four-time NASCAR champion never attempted to pull the double, like Larson will be doing next weekend, but the racer-turned-Hendrick-Vice-Chairman is putting all his support behind the driver. Speaking with the media during a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Gordon waxed poetic about Indianapolis.

“I feel like Indianapolis is what made me a fan of motorsports,” Gordon told Peacock. “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. And I, as a kid, came here. So you know, 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, it’s just special. When you live here in Indiana, you race around Indiana, it becomes that much more hallowed ground.

“So yeah, that dream didn’t come true in an IndyCar, but it came true in the Brickyard 400, in a stock car. And this is another dream come true, getting Rick Hendrick, Kyle Larson and just all of Hendrick Motorsports involved in this amazing event. We hope we get qualified in, and we get to go and have a fun weekend next week.”

One has to wonder if Rick Hendrick would’ve been so supportive of Larson’s venture, if not for Gordon’s support. Since joining Hendrick, Larson has become the flag-bearer for the team, drawing comparisons to Gordon’s immense talent.

Kyle Larson has a long way to go to match Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR success, but he is attempting something Gordon never did as a racer, and it’s evident the four-time NASCAR champion has a heck of a lot of respect for Larson for doing so.

Kyle Larson warns gamblers not to bet on him to win Indy 500

Meanwhile, Kyle Larson is ready to do big things at the Indy 500 next weekend but is not betting on himself to win the iconic race. When Larson heard he was second betting choice (according to BetMGM Sportsbook) to win the Indy 500, he couldn’t believe it. 

“That’s crazy, that doesn’t make any sense to me,” Larson said, per the Associated Press. “I think people are wasting their money. But, maybe not? I guess I hope to add people wasting their money on me.”

Larson is the second betting favorite at 13-2. He’s right behind Alex Palou who sits at 4-1. Larson was shocked he was listed ahead of Scott Dixon who won the Indy 500 in 2008 and has won the IndyCar Series Championship six times. 

Alas, Kyle Larson is looking to become the fifth driver in history to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Tony Stewart is the only one to finish the two races. Larson has not talked to Stewart about his attempts, but he did talk to Kurt Busch who attempted “The Double” in 2014. Busch finished sixth at Indy but did not complete the Coca-Cola 600 because of engine failure.

On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this article.