“It’s surprising”: Kyle Larson reacts to Hendrick Motorsports' lingering decade-long glory gap since Jeff Gordon’s victory

With the Series approaching a daredevilish weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Kyle Larson revealed his feelings about Hendrick Motorsports not winning at the D-shaped oval since 2014. He thinks it’s quite surprising because Michigan isn’t a track where the team struggles.

Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, is the only driver who has won at Michigan in a decade. But the good news is that Hendrick Motorsports is now home to Kyle Larson, a three-time winner at the racetrack, with his first one coming back in 2016 when he was driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

“Yeah, I don't know. I think it's been since even I won in '17 that a Chevy has won here,” Larson said. “Which is, I mean, it's kind of surprising because I don't feel like it's a track that we struggle at, you know, by any means.”

“Every time I've been here (in) a Hendrick car, we've been one of the fastest and up front as well as my teammates. Just maybe how the race plays out. Just doesn't happen yet, but it's not a track like Nashville where we struggle,” he added.

With Hendrick Motorsports, the Elk Grove native has made four starts at MIS. His best performance of a P3 at the Brooklyn-based venue came in 2021, his first year with the organization. Since then, he has bagged 19 wins in all but never one at Michigan.

For this Sunday’s event, the Firekeepers Casino 400, Kyle Larson will start fifth, alongside Chris Buescher, another former winner at Michigan International Speedway. The race will be televised on Prime Video, 2 pm ET onwards, with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Kyle Larson walks away unscathed following a violent sprint car crash

Ahead of this weekend’s Cup Series race at Michigan, Kyle Larson was back inside his No. 57 dirt car at Plymouth Dirt Track, competing in a World of Outlaws event on Friday night. On Lap 7, Larson’s ride lost a wheel, setting up his vehicle for chaos. The car turned several times and hit the catch fence before coming to a halt.

When asked about the incident post-race, Kyle Larson said,

“I think the right rear axle or something broke, so just kinda launched me and [I was] along for the ride. So, bummer, I felt really good pacing Rico [Abreu] there and just finally catching traffic and you know, get racing there, but, wasn't gonna happen.

The track officials rushed to his rescue and found the driver unharmed. As he climbed out of his battered car, the crowd cheered uncontrollably.

“Glad I'm okay. Big hits, but all in all I feel fine,” he added.

On the NASCAR side of things, Kyle Larson sits second in the championship standings with 499 points to his name. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, currently tops the list with 547 points.