Gordon confident Larson's Cup Series title count will keep growing: 'He's going to pass me'

Jeff Gordon told Kyle Larson to "come and get it," and Larson has been doing just that in the NASCAR Cup Series.

On Sunday, the reigning champion solidified another year atop the mountain by winning his second straight title and third overall. Larson and the No. 5 team finished the job in the first stage of the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, then ultimately finished the night in 12th place.

That means Gordon’s “come and get it” egging-on has Larson one title closer to his record of four. It also means Gordon isn’t backing down from saying it some more.

“The same thing,” said Gordon of his message to Larson after the third title win. “He’s going to pass me; I’ve already come to the conclusion and kind of knew that when he was coming to Hendrick Motorsports. He’s special.

“But it was one of the first things I said to him when I saw him today: ‘All right, there you go, number three. One more to go.’”

Larson has now won three in six seasons with Cliff Daniels and the group they’ve built. He will remain in the No. 5 car at least through the 2031 season given his most recent contract extension.

“Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are the two guys I looked up to growing up dirt racing and stuff,” said Larson. “To join Tony is such a cool feeling. I can't really believe that I'm on a list with him in championships. Winning races or similar races I could believe, but three championships and joining him is pretty amazing.

“Ultimately if I could join Jeff Gordon, that would be amazing also for a lot of the same reasons. You want to just keep winning. Hopefully we can get there. I think Jeff thinks that I want to beat him and win five, or win more than him. Obviously, that would be great. But for me, just to be on a list with Jeff Gordon would be pretty awesome.”

Gordon, now the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, won four titles between 1995 and 2001. Once the "Wonder Boy" of the circuit, Gordon rapidly rose to the top and was expected to keep adding to his mantel. But then the next generation’s star came along, began to pick his pocket, and rewrote the history books.

"Yung Money," Larson, is doing the same to his competition right now.

“I was on the other side of the Jimmie five-in-a-row championships, and the way you do that is, one, you out-team them,” Gordon said. “But you win the ones you’re not supposed to win, and then you win the ones you are supposed to win, and in my opinion, that was one last year and this year. And I say this year because when the Chase started, they were the best team, and they proved it week in and week out. They had the cars to do it, and they went and won the championship.

“But last year, eh, we all know how that one went down. That one kind of fell together in a great way because of the call Cliff made and the driving Kyle did. But they put themselves in position, and they had something fall their way in a great way. That’s how you win multiple ones in a row: when you’ve got that opportunity, you seize it, and that’s what Jimmie and Chad did. I think there were championships – honestly, at least one of them – I felt like we should have beaten them, and man, they never quit, they never gave up, and they came back and just showed you how good they are and stepped it up and took it to another level, and you’re in awe of it.

“So, I think that’s what the competitors are looking at with Cliff and Kyle and that 5 team right now, in awe of the things they’re capable of doing.”