NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon believes Hendrick Motorsport driver Kyle Larson could clinch the championship title this season. Larson recently triumphed in NASCAR’s return to the Brickyard 400, adding to his impressive track record.
Back in 1994, four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 while driving for Hendrick Motorsport (HMS) and went on to claim the championship the same year. Now, Kyle Larson finds himself in a similar position after his contentious victory at the Indianapolis oval. In a post-race interview, Gordon expressed his confidence in Larson’s chances this season.
“I think the #5 team is incredibly strong, one of the best out there. Securing this win is going to set the tone for the rest of the season, marking them as the biggest threat to the championship,” Gordon said.
However, not all fans agree with Gordon’s prediction. Many have voiced their dissent regarding Larson as the potential 2024 champion, especially after NASCAR’s decision to let the Indianapolis race continue following Ryan Preece’s spin-off in overtime. One fan exclaimed, “STOP FIXING RACES TO LET KYLE WIN.”
Another fan added, “NASCAR will do whatever they have to do to make sure an HMS driver wins this year, that’s for sure…” A third commented, “No. Can’t finish out races half the time and makes stupid moves under pressure. Just look at last year with the barrels. Bell suffers from the same issue. I think it’s Hamlin and to a far lesser extent Reddick.”
Yet another fan speculated, “Nah, based on the patterns from the last two seasons, HMS looks poised to clinch, but out of nowhere, Penske with Cindric might steal it this time.”
Kyle Larson, who drives the #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and competes full-time in the Cup Series, is now in his 11th year and has already claimed the championship title in 2021. One fan remarked, “With NASCAR behind them, I’m sure they have a pretty good chance!”
Larson has amassed 27 Cup race wins and three All-Star race wins, excelling at all crown jewel events except the Daytona 500. Kevin Harvick, commenting on Larson’s controversial overtime start at IMS during a recent episode of his “Happy Hour” podcast, said:
“The restart was tight. I watched it a couple of times and didn’t see anything that would warrant a penalty or suggest Larson jumped the start. They seemed to take off at the same time, and he just outpaced Blaney through the gears. It was a unique scenario that ultimately secured his win.”
Larson’s win at the Brickyard is his fourth victory this season, and he currently leads the driver standings with 749 points.
