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“You’ve Never Owned a Team or Driven a Race Car”: Jeff Gordon Breaks Silence on NASCAR ‘Attacking’ Kyle Larson With New Rule

Rahul Ahluwalia
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Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson sit in the Arrow McLaren pit box Thursday, May 18, 2023, during the third day of practice for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Jeff Gordon does not seem to agree with NASCAR’s recent rule changes, especially those concerning Kyle Larson. The four-time champion of the sport and current vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports spoke about the updates to the waiver policy and their implications for Larson going forward.

“I personally don’t think they needed to take any further steps,” said Gordon, referencing the governing body’s previous rules around waivers as the #5 HMS driver attempted his Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double last year. After failing to start the 600-mile NASCAR race on Memorial Day, there was a lot of controversy surrounding Larson’s eligibility for the postseason.

While Larson was ultimately granted the waiver, the changes ahead of the 2025 season clearly state there will be no exemption for drivers except for medical reasons.“I saw the hurt on Kyle Larson’s face and I could feel him letting his team down. If you’ve never owned a team or driven a racecar, then I understand why you thought you need to take extra action,” added Gordon.

The 53-year-old veteran of the sport further touched on how difficult it is from the driver and team’s point of view to deal with the consequences of missing a race. These consequences were further enhanced for Larson given his situation, with Rick Hendrick allowing and lining up an Indy 500 opportunity for the California native.

“I understand NASCAR’s decision and we’ll go by that,” Gordon ultimately rounded off as he and the team agreed to abide by the new waiver rules. These changes do not leave any room for error if Larson attempts a second Memorial Day Double this season, with no scope for delays whatsoever, weather-related or otherwise.

Some of the biggest names from the fraternity, such as Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, also supported the #5 Chevrolet Camaro driver receiving a waiver last year. Larson’s contribution to NASCAR with his double attempt and the attention it brought to the sport were the primary ones mentioned.

It now remains to be seen how the waiver policy will work going forward. One of the biggest reasons behind NASCAR making the change was to judiciously grant them while trying to maintain the sanctity of the sport. Fans will find out whether or not that is the case in May.

Post Edited By:Srijan Mandal

About the author

Rahul Ahluwalia

Rahul Ahluwalia

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Rahul Ahluwalia is a NASCAR Content Strategist and Journalist at The SportsRush. Hailing from a Journalism and Mass Communication background, Rahul's love for automobiles transformed into his passion for all things racing. With over 1200+ articles under his belt covering a mixture of NASCAR and F1, he has realized his calling in the world of motorsports with actual first hand experience behind the wheel to back it up. He has competed in several autocross events as well as rallycross-style competitions to hone his skills behind the wheel and better understand the mindset of a racecar driver, allowing him to further improve his writing as well. He also has an editorial background with respect to racing and has eye for stories which otherwise go unnoticed. Rahul is also an avid sim racer indulging in various disciplines such as rallying and oval racing during his free time. Having begun his motorsports journey at the start of 2020, he turned his passion into his work allowing him to delve deeper into the ever evolving and world of cars and motorsports. Apart from racing, Rahul also has sound technical knowledge of the automotive industry and automobiles in general. Having grown up playing video games such as Need for Speed, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, it is easy to see where the love for racing and machines inculcated in the first place.

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