“I’m not on that list” - Jeff Gordon puts Kyle Larson in the same league as AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti

4-time Cup Series champion and Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon regards Kyle Larson as one of the most versatile drivers in the modern era of NASCAR. So much so that he feels Larson is in the same league as legendary drivers A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti.

Only a handful of drivers have attempted what Kyle Larson is about to do this Memorial Day weekend. Among them, only Tony Stewart has been able to complete the combined 1,100 miles of the Coke 600 and the Indy 500 on the same day.

Jeff Gordon said in a recent interview with Motorsports on NBC,

"I consider him (Kyle Larson) the modern-day Mario Andretti and I think doing Indy is certainly going to even put him higher up into that class or category because not only is he driving a lot of different cars but he is excelling in pretty much everything. That just hasn't been done in so many years." (7:46)

"Tony (Stewart) is certainly on that list of guys that did it... I'm not on the list. I'm not, I'll be honest. But certainly Mario (Andretti) and A. J. (Foyt), knowing what they did earlier in those days where you could go from dirt to Indy... they did it and they did it well and NASCAR as well. This is rare," he added.

Being a former NASCAR driver, Gordon realizes how difficult it is to sit behind the wheels of an Indy 500 car, which is so much different from driving a stock car. Reflecting on the difficulty of the race, he explained that competing in the prestigious double-header will allow Kyle Larson to experience a lot of things that will add to his repertoire.

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Jeff Gordon explains why it could be difficult for Kyle Larson to win an IndyCar event

Driving an open-wheel Indy car and driving a modified stock car are almost poles apart. In the interview with NBC, the Hendrick Motorsports executive explained how the nuances of these two forms of motorsport are different.

"There's a lot more going on in the steering wheel, a lot more adjustments inside the car," he said. "So just the way they go about a test plan and making laps and getting up to speed is quite a bit different."

An average IndyCar weighs less than 1,400 pounds. Being significantly lighter than a stock car. The speed that these cars flaunt is also more than the average speed in NASCAR. To this day, the fastest speed recorded in IndyCar history is 231 mph. This means the straightways feel shorter, the corners approach faster, and therefore the turns need to be made quicker.

However, Jeff Gordon views this opportunity as a good thing for Kyle Larson's career as a race car driver. It would only enhance Larson's abilities and provide him with more experience as a driver. Gordon said,

"If anybody can do it, it's Kyle Larson."