Kyle Larson’s path to the NASCAR Cup championship was defined by challenges few anticipated, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver weathered setbacks throughout his Kyle Larson NASCAR championship season. Despite an unremarkable summer, Larson and his team rallied in dramatic fashion at Phoenix Raceway to secure the title, highlighting endurance and belief at every turn.
Early Victories and Midseason Struggles
The season began with promise for Kyle Larson. He captured three wins in the first twelve events, hinting at a dominant campaign for Hendrick Motorsports. However, as the summer months approached, the team faced difficulties, managing only two top-five and three top-10 finishes across nine races. These results were not typical for a future champion and signaled tough times ahead.
Perseverance Within the Team
Amidst on-track troubles, the team also confronted personal challenges away from the race track. Crew chief Cliff Daniels acknowledged the adversity, emphasizing the group’s unity during turbulence:
“A lot of our team guys have just been through a lot this year. We’ve had things going on away from the race track where we’ve had to overcome obstacles, sometimes even tragedy, and work through a lot of things together, which to me there’s just a lot of beauty in that, of a team banding together the way that we have this season.”
– Cliff Daniels, Crew Chief
Seeking motivation, Daniels introduced the team to the book “Acres of Diamonds,” reinforcing the idea that success can be cultivated within familiar ground rather than being sought elsewhere. He encouraged a focus on self-improvement and resilience:
“One of the books that we read as a team this summer was called Acres of Diamonds,”
Daniels said.
“You don’t need to go elsewhere to find diamonds. You can find diamonds in your own dirt.”
As the campaign progressed, the philosophy of continual growth emerged as a key for the team’s resurgence. Daniels summarized the value of their mindset:
“If there’s one thing that we’ve done well this year, it’s the growth mindset.
“You can never settle on what you accomplished yesterday. We all have a whiteboard, whether it’s in your mind or when you want to go compete or accomplish something, it’s the things that you don’t see coming, the challenges that you have to overcome. That’s what teaches you about your beliefs and your character and your resilience. The things that were absolutely not on the whiteboard is what made the team this strong this season to be able to come here and overcome what was a pretty dismal day for a while.”
– Cliff Daniels, Crew Chief
Overcoming Challenges at Phoenix Raceway
The season finale at Phoenix Raceway presented a final set of obstacles for Larson. Unlike his Championship 4 rivals, he did not lead a lap during the race and was hampered by two tire failures in the second half. With less than 100 laps to go, a flat tire saw his No. 5 Chevrolet drop a lap down, pushing him to 31st position at one stage.
Behind the scenes, four engineers at Hendrick Motorsports’ war room in North Carolina played a pivotal role. They advised Daniels to use a two-tire strategy in the closing laps, aiming to gain track position. Larson made a final stop for right-side tires during a caution that forced the race into overtime, enabling him to move up to fifth for the restart.
Reflecting on the crucial decision, Daniels noted Larson’s commitment:
“Once we got the final caution, we knew it was going to be a green-white-checker, that decision (for two tires) almost made itself because Kyle in our code words had already called it out to me,”
Daniels said.
“That told me he was already going to have confidence and belief if we did it. He felt he had enough under him to go make it happen.”
– Cliff Daniels, Crew Chief
On the deciding restart, Larson chose the outside lane, finding himself third in line behind Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman. At the checkered flag, he finished third behind Ryan Blaney, who took the win, and Keselowski, sealing Larson’s path to the Cup championship despite not leading a lap in the final event.
The Broader Significance and Looking Ahead
Larson’s triumph speaks to the core of NASCAR’s unpredictability and the importance of teamwork—a principle embodied by the efforts of the engineers, crew members, and leaders at Hendrick Motorsports. Figures like Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and Byron also played roles in the high-stakes closing moments. Changes involving race strategies and a potential future rewrite of the championship formula have already begun circulating within the sport, pointing to broader impacts of the season’s end.
The emotional journey of overcoming struggles and demonstrating a growth mindset has defined the latest Kyle Larson NASCAR championship season. As the champion and his team reflect on their hard-fought victory, their unity and resilience set a standard for the coming seasons, inspiring competitors and fans alike across North Carolina and beyond.
