THE MODERATOR: We are joined by our race winner Kyle Larson. We’ll start with questions.
Q. A lot of people up here, Mr. H, Jeff Gordon, said it kind of completed the circle of everything you wanted to do in May. Not the same race, but it’s got to uplift your feelings as to the way you left here in May with some unfinished business. How do you put that into perspective?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, definitely. I think it adds to the emotion of winning here. Obviously this race means a lot to win no matter what the circumstances may be.
I think just with getting to compete in the Indy 500, then having the weather kind of get in the mix and not being able to compete in the 600, then getting to come here and run the same paint scheme I was supposed to run at the 600, ultimately win in the fashion that we did with a lot of things kind of going our way there at the end.
Yeah, it was pretty emotional winning for sure. I think it definitely feels like it completes the circle of the double this year.
Q. Carb Day, the whole Hendrick Motorsports guys came here, got to experience a practice at IMS. I know you wanted to be able to run for them in the 600. What did it mean to be able to close the circle for those guys on your team?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, definitely. It was awesome to have them here on Carb Day, get to have them kind of see what this place is like for the 500, or at least the days leading into it. Carb Day being probably the second biggest event of the 500.
Yeah, I mean, it was just nice to have them here, to see them having fun, really enjoying it as fans and friends. I guess getting to kiss the bricks, I didn’t really think about it till now. Getting to kiss the bricks with every single one of them that was here then is definitely special.
It means a lot. I have a lot of support from the 5 team while I was here away from them for a couple weeks. Yeah, just great to win here for them.
Q. Coming to the start of the first overtime, you see the 6 pull off, what is going through your head at that moment?
KYLE LARSON: Well, leading into it, we had a lot of communication on our radio about Brad was going to be really close on fuel, he may run out of fuel under these cautions. I was going to choose behind him no matter what lane he took just in hopes that he would run out before we got to the restart zone.
I was trying to pay attention to him when he was cycling his engine, trying to clean and warm his tires up just to see if there was any bit of stumble. Yeah, he just ducked off onto pit road. I was like, Wow, I can’t believe this is going exactly how we had kind of hoped and had thought about.
I came to the restart zone, and I’m sure Ryan and I were both probably confused on who is now the control car. I could tell maybe he didn’t know. We kind of both I felt like took off at the same time. The pace was up a little bit faster. It was just a bit confusing.
I was able to get the position into one, saw a big crash in my mirror, was a little bit bummed because I knew it would be really hard to pass me after clearing the lead.
Yeah, I had to sit through a lengthy red flag and kind of replay some things in my mind about how this next restart might work out. Thankfully it just worked out where I could get barely clear. He did a better job the second time to hang with me. I thought he might almost have leverage enough to stay side by side exit one. If he would have stayed with me exit one, who knows who wins. We were probably three wide down the backstretch with the 45 coming.
Q. After the first pit stop, you’re following Chase. He gets the violation. What was your understanding of the rule? When you saw Chase, did you think that he was in trouble, and did that help keep you off the line in any way?
KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, we kind of as a team communicated, or tried to, on Friday of, What is the rule? None of us knew what the rule was. I don’t think NASCAR initially knew what the rule was because then we started kind of getting communication with them.
Afterwards, I think Chad Knaus was getting our opinion. Drivers on a group text were in, all that. When I was here for the 500, you’re allowed to kind of straddle that first white line. You’re not allowed to get your lefts over it. I was kind of used to that and did that on Friday.
I think it was Saturday probably before the Xfinity race, I think they had released the rule. There’s, what, I don’t know, two white lines or something?
The way I understood the rule was that you couldn’t get your right sides over the far white line because then you would be deemed on the racing surface. That’s what I did. Yeah, I was following Chase. He swung way out. Yeah, I was like, Man, that’s got to be a penalty. If it’s not, at least I know how much further I can swing out.
I think it took them a couple laps to find a replay of it. Ultimately he got a penalty and I didn’t. I knew what I did was legal.
Q. Jeff Gordon talked about the creativity you used in getting by people. How do you pass at a place where supposedly you can’t pass? How much did your INDYCAR experience help? Jeff referenced the timing of runs.
KYLE LARSON: Well, I think it was circumstance. I think if the guys in front of me are not worried about fuel, then I don’t pass. I was stuck back in 20-something earlier in the race, went nowhere.
What worked out in my favor was getting by the 9, then I made a move on the 45 to get in front of him. Now I’m the highest-running car with the best fuel. I could be on offense while all the top 15 or whatever in front of me, I could tell they were saving. Nobody got stretched out from Brad. Everybody was just nose to tail.
When you’re that nose to tail, there’s just an accordion at the end of the straightaway. Everybody starts lifting earlier and earlier and earlier. I could just pop out kind of late, I felt like catch them off guard some and make the move.
It was pretty easy until I got to the top six probably or seven. I think they — I’m guessing teams were kind of communicating to their drivers what I was doing. The pace got just a little bit quicker. The air was getting cleaner towards the front for those guys.
It got tougher. Once I got to third, I was kind of stuck at that point. My only hope then was that they were going to run out of fuel. Then, yeah, we had the yellows and the cautions, and ultimately things worked out.
Q. Cliff said he felt like you gave the team an edge that nobody else had today in your ability to conserve fuel and also have speed. How did you make that work so well?
KYLE LARSON: Well, I didn’t pass many cars then because the pace was faster and I couldn’t.
I just tried to pass as many as I could when people were getting stacked up. When everybody kind of strung out, you just tried to save as much fuel just to give us more chance and more opportunity on pit road. You don’t know how the race is going to play out. Typically if you have more fuel in the tank, your options are better.
I was trying to save as much as I could. Ultimately I don’t even know if it mattered. I don’t know if, like, at that point in the race me saving ended up mattering. Maybe it did. I don’t know.
Regardless, yeah, it was really, really hard to pass at that point in the race. I felt like the best thing for me to do is just save as much as I could, try not to get passed from behind, give us some more opportunity to stay out, take two, gain track position that way.
Q. After the win you said you love Indiana fans and you know that they love you. I’m sure a big part of that was what happened in May. Take us through that journey of how that love affair has grown. Was there a moment in May when you realized it?
KYLE LARSON: No, honestly I feel like even before May. Every time I come here. I lived here for a couple years and raced locally throughout Indiana and the Midwest.
Indiana fans love their dirt track racing. I’ve always felt the support here.
Yeah, obviously doing the Indy 500, I feel like it exploded for Indiana fans. I felt like when I was here for the 500, there were so many people wearing my T-shirts and my little jersey things that they made, all that.
I recognized just as much of that here today. There was more, I feel like, 17 McLaren papaya gear as there was 5 Hendrick cars gear. I could tell there were a lot of fans that were back today from the weeks of the 500.
Yeah, I could tell my cheer during driver intros was really loud. Even the caution there when I was in third, like, I look in the stands, all the fans were I felt like getting jacked up for me (smiling).
Yeah, anytime you have good fan support, it makes it special. It was cool. I love the Indiana fan base.
Q. In a situation where Brad pulled off pit road, is it fair to Blaney in that situation that he is now the control car but in the outside lane, which is disadvantageous? Is that a situation where he should be given the opportunity to repick?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know the correct answer. Sure, if I was in his position, maybe. The way the rule is written currently, it’s not.
I don’t know. It would have taken a lot of time. It would have taken a couple more laps of caution because they would have had to have quickly call off the restart, then we’d have to go single file another time, then choose and then go.
I don’t know, what is that, two extra laps? That’s kind of boring, especially in a two-and-a-half-mile track. That’s minutes of time going by.
I’m sure they’re going to look at it, NASCAR, and see what they come up with. Yeah, it’s tough. It’s tough. I don’t know the right answer for sure.
Q. The speed you’ve had over the last six weeks or so, does it feel like you are on the cusp of doing something special?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. Sure, I feel like the 5 team at Hendrick Motorsports you always feel like you’re on the cusp of something great. It’s just Next Gen racing is so hard to be consistent. These guys lately that have been consistent, it’s pretty impressive.
So yeah, I mean, I hope that we can keep winning and keep running up front. I feel like we’ve done a great job really all year, except it’s got a little bit wonky here the last four weeks or so. We’ve been kind of 2023 Kyle Larson again, either running good or crashing.
Hopefully we can come back and consistently run up front and give ourselves more opportunities to have days like today.
Q. On the radio broadcast today, there were a couple times we noticed you and Denny Hamlin getting a chance to race hard next to each other. Are there any thoughts crossing your mind then? Under one of the long yellow flags you seemed to show some displeasure to Ross Chastain. I saw love taps.
KYLE LARSON: Wasn’t displeasure at all. I was just bored, having fun.
Q. Racing with Hamlin, was there any thought there with the narrative that’s gone over the last few weeks that has been well publicized?
KYLE LARSON: No. As far as Denny, I feel like he was doing what he could to benefit his race at the time. There was probably, I’m guessing, some communication about the moves that I was making ’cause those guys towards the front started protecting lower, making it a little bit harder for me to pass.
No, I mean, I don’t think he was doing anything egregious or anything like that. We were just racing hard. Was going to race clean, too, which was good.
Q. You said you hoped to announce something soon on the Indy 500 for next year. Any hurdles, or do you expect that to happen?
KYLE LARSON: I don’t know. I don’t know. I mean, we definitely have been talking about it. I think weighing what’s important to everybody.
It sounds good, I’ll say, so far, but things could change. Yeah, we’ll see. I would obviously love to do it. I think everybody knows I would love to do it because in my mind I did not get to do it this year. I didn’t get to at least do the double.
Yeah, I hope that the pieces can fall into place and we can hopefully get things put together and announce something, get excited about doing the double next year.
Q. Does the good fortune of today give you any more faith that you can have good fortune here in an Indy 500?
KYLE LARSON: I hope so. I don’t know. I mean, getting to live through that race this year, like, it’s obviously a very tough race. Very similar race, but very tough. Those Penske cars are stupid fast. Pato did a great job to almost win. It was going to be virtually impossible for anybody to beat Josef.
Hopefully next year with the hybrid stuff, there’s more opportunity for more teams to be faster. I will say it’s pretty special. Hopefully someday I can get a chance to win the 500. I’ve won on the dirt track on the BC39, got to kiss the bricks there. Now today in the 400. I guess there’s one more to check off, which is the Indy 500, which would be pretty special.
Q. Do you have any sense of who had the fastest car today? Did you?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, great question.
I don’t know. John Hunter must have been fast because he drove off a long ways when he got the lead. I don’t know if people were saving fuel at that point. But he drove off. He had to be pretty good.
I don’t know. I think my car was really good, but I just don’t know. I never got to be out in the lead really. There before we made like our final pit stop, whoever was second, John Hunter maybe, he pitted. There was a big gap to Ross. I busted off a couple really good laps. I guess we could go back and look at, like, how those lap times compared to other leaders.
As of right now, I don’t know who had the fastest car. I think we definitely had a first- or probably second-place best car.
Q. I don’t know if you’re aware, but this is Cliff Daniels’ 20th win in the Cup Series. He didn’t quite know where to rank this one. You’ve had a couple other wins before coming to Hendrick, so where would you rank this win with Cliff, considering the two of you have won a few big ones together?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, yeah, definitely up there for sure. I mean, maybe the top because this is probably the biggest race that we’ve won.
I guess number two, right? The championship, winning at Phoenix, it’s hard to top that. Brickyard 400 will be right there.
Yeah, just special to have the success that we’ve had together. Together as a team too. It’s more than just him and I. The team that he’s assembled is amazing. The level that he holds everybody to is extreme. Getting to celebrate with him today, kissing the bricks before we both came up here together was pretty special and something we’ll be able to look back on years and years down the road together when we are both retired and think it’s something pretty special.
Sometimes it’s hard to, like, really appreciate everything we’ve had success doing together currently because we’re both in our primes and both itching for more and more.
Yeah, hopefully there’s a lot more celebrating we’ll be able to do in our careers together.
Q. Jeff Gordon won this race, the first one ever. Is it special now that 30 years later you two get to share that?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, yeah, for sure. Having him here, but Rick Hendrick especially, having him here today, I don’t think he’s been with us since maybe the Daytona 500. Getting to have him here, getting to be next to him kissing the bricks is something I’ll cherish forever.
Same thing, I got to take a picture with Jeff Gordon, him and I, on the bricks together with the trophy a little while ago. That’s something that I’ll probably hold onto for a very long time ’cause, yeah, he means a lot to all us drivers that are my generation who probably wouldn’t maybe not be here today if not for him paving the way.
Yeah, I mean, him winning that race 30 years ago probably could have helped me get to where I’m at today. He’s just really old, that’s a long time ago (smiling).
Q. When you climbed out of the car, you were on FaceTime with Owen, I believe. Normally he rides in the car with you after victories. What was it like to share that moment with him virtually?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, no, that was really special. That’s the first time I’ve gotten to FaceTime my kids after a win. Obviously I wish they would have been here today. You just never know how things are going to play out. Like if I’d have known I was going to win today, I would have told them to ride over from Eldora.
I wish they could be here, but it was still special to get to FaceTime them in Victory Lane. Katelyn even had them on FaceTime while we kissed the bricks the first time. They kind of got to live it virtually. Hopefully down the road I’ll get the chance to win here again and have them here. It would be awesome.
Q. Everybody up here discussed the paint job as being a motivator. Can you tell me how a paint job is more motivational than without it?
KYLE LARSON: I think the motivation for us, at least for myself, even for our team, it was almost the paint scheme or the paint scheme I almost didn’t get to run because I didn’t get to run the 600.
It was important for me to run that paint scheme here at Indy. Yeah, I think for sure it probably gave extra motivation to have a good showing. Yeah, no, it meant a lot to me that Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group was able to approve us getting to run that paint scheme again here. Now we’ll get to have some race win die cast, which is pretty special.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
