This feels awfully good': Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports bask in Brickyard

In the heat of the moment, Kyle Larson called his pressure-packed May 26 “one of the most disappointing (days)” the NASCAR Cup series champ has experienced.

Despite attempting something that only four of the 800 other Indianapolis 500 starters in the race’s 108-year history had ever dared to try, Larson left his failed ‘Double’ attempt this May that included both highs – winning Rookie of the Year and qualifying 5th – and lows – speeding on pitlane and finishing 18th with potentially a top-5 car – shouldering the burden of letting down family, friends, fans, team members and even those working on a documentary of his journey

What I thought could be one of the best days of my life quickly turned into one of the most disappointing ones I’ve ever experienced,” Larson wrote on social media May 27, partnered with wistful black-and-white photos of a dream left unrealized. “So much time, money and effort went into this experience, and it just kills me to have it all end the way it did.

“I feel like I let so many people down

Sunday evening, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, reflecting on his own experiences during a chaotic Month of May spent orchestrating Larson’s childhood dream in the shadows, remembered a poignant lesson a close friend shared during the countless hours spent at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two months ago:

“This place can bring the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.”