“Making me look really good” - Kyle Larson’s Indy 500 coach reacts after the HMS driver makes it to Fast 12

On Saturday, Kyle Larson made it through the first day of qualifying for the Indy 500 into the Fast 12. Larson ranked 6th on the sheet with an average speed of 232.563 mph, which proved good enough for him to have a shot for the pole on Sunday.

But Larson's adaptation and performance in the single-seater of IndyCar couldn't have been what it is without Tony Kanaan, his coach. Kanaan, however, doesn't want that tag.

After the qualifying session on Friday, when Kanaan was asked how he's doing as a coach, the 49-year-old claimed Larson doesn't need a coach.

"Calling me a coach is an understatement. Kyle is making me look really good. I can't thank Jeff (Gordon), Mr. Hendrick and the whole team (enough) for having the opportunity here. I learned a lot with him today, how calm this kid was and in 21 years I was never like that, so pretty cool," Kanaan described his feelings. [1:48]

He even claimed that drivers like Kyle Larson come around once every 40 or 50 years. Kanaan then put Larson in the same bracket as two of the biggest names in American motorsports history.

"Like A.J. (Foyt) and Mario (Andretti). I’m a fan (of Larson’s), a big fan," Kanaan added as per IndyCar.

Jeff Gordon, who was also present at IMS on Saturday, mentioned how Larson's success so far has been "a total team effort" from getting the car there to rebounding under extreme pressure.

Gordon also claimed that watching Larson race for a place on the Indy 500 grid is beyond reality for him.

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Watching Kyle Larson race for the Indy 500 is like a dream for Jeff Gordon

Amid Kyle Larson's qualifying attempt for the Indy 500, Jeff Gordon spoke to Peacock about the significance of Indianapolis for him as a motorsports fan. The 4x Cup champion revealed how as a kid growing up in California, being in between Sprint Car and the Indy 500 is what drew him into wanting to be a racecar driver.

Gordon revealed that he'd been at IMS a long time ago, and also drove the pace car a few years ago. But while Gordon's dream of running in IndyCar didn't come true, it materialized in the form of running in the Brickyard 400 in a stock car, a race he won 5 times in his career.

But watching Larson make a run for the Indy 500 is another dream come true for Gordon.

"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," Gordon said.

So it'll be interesting to see if Kyle Larson makes it from Fast 12 to Fast 6 and potentially makes a run for the pole.

Either way, it is becoming more and more clear that Larson might just have a shot at winning the Indy 500.