Pit This Time may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our coverage. Learn more.
For most of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team did not look like a championship team. Crew chief Cliff Daniels said those struggles are a big reason they finished as one.
Larson went winless through the 26-race regular season. Then he won three races in the Chase, at World Wide Technology Raceway, Kansas and Talladega, built a big points lead and clinched his third Cup title by finishing fourth in Stage 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.
‘The Adversity Was Really Important’
As the team celebrated on the frontstretch at Homestead, Daniels was asked about the tough stretches the season brought.
“The adversity was really important for us just to lean into it as a team. If you handle it the right way, and we have a lot of great people, great leaders around us, you can learn so much about yourself. You can figure out how to be a little graceful to yourself when you’re not doing as well as you want to do and be graceful to the world around you and look within of how to get better,” Daniels said.
He said Hendrick Motorsports has been in that spot before, and pointed to his faith.
“I think our team has a lot of moments in our history, Hendrick Motorsports does really, of showing that resilience. The good Lord above, I really think his hand was orchestrating the good and the bad and he led us through the bad when days were tough and we didn’t have good results,” Daniels said.
‘Our Team Knew How to Dig Deep’
Larson did not have the fastest car every week, and Daniels admitted as much. He said what the No. 5 team had instead was resolve.
“Our team knew how to dig deep, knew how to stay together, and just keep fighting. Even though we weren’t the fastest car all the times this year, we had a very resilient team. We had a lot of dedicated people. Just so grateful for that and very grateful that we finished it off,” Daniels said.
A Third Title for Larson and Daniels
The championship is Larson’s third, after titles in 2021 and 2025. Larson is the first driver to win back-to-back Cup titles since Jimmie Johnson won five straight from 2006 to 2010.
It is also the 16th Cup Series championship for team owner Rick Hendrick.
Larson finished the season with three wins, 15 top fives and 21 top 10s, and finished 49 points ahead of Christopher Bell in the final standings.
Leave a Reply