Kyle Larson acknowledges the stock car faithful prior to the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire. (Photo: Yasser Khan | The Podium Finish)
RIDGEWAY, Va. — Kyle Larson has spent most of 2025 proving that his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet is a force to be reckoned with in the NASCAR Cup Series. Now, as the playoffs reach their crescendo at Martinsville Speedway, Larson is laser-focused on translating that consistency into a shot at his second championship.
“Well, it’s definitely taken some work. We started off the year really good, and then we kinda tapered off there in the summer months and kinda lost track of some speed. But I feel like in the playoffs, we’ve done a much better job of finding that speed that we had lost and learning more about our race cars, and that’s allowed us to kinda compete at the front again and, you know, consistently battle towards the front,” Larson said.
“I’m really proud of everybody. Hendrick Motorsports, our pit crew has been doing a phenomenal job. Our whole road crew, our 5 team has been doing great also. And we got ourselves in position right now to make the final four. Just need to go execute Martinsville well. We need to score more points than the 20 car [Christopher Bell] if there happens to be a new winner. But, yeah, I feel good about our chances. Martinsville has been a decent track for us in the past.”
Larson has experience overcoming Martinsville’s tight corners and tire challenges.
“Yeah. I don’t know. I mean, I can’t really remember, you know, last year, especially, and then even this year at Martinsville,” he opined. “But I think I think it all felt really similar from what I remember. The tire fall off, the shelf life of the tire was just a little bit earlier into the run than it was before, but still very kinda temp sensitive from what I remember.
“So, we’ll see though, it always seems to change every time we go back. But, yeah, hopefully, our team’s got a good handle on things, and we can go there and do a good job this weekend.”
A cornerstone of Larson’s success is the relationship he shares with crew chief Cliff Daniels, which has grown increasingly crucial during high-pressure playoff races.
“Well, I think Cliff is just a great leader, and he’s always evolving his leadership. And I don’t there’s a better leader in the sport or at least somebody who works as hard as he does on just the personal side of what it takes to run a team. So, yeah, I commend him a lot for that.
“He’s just a great individual. He’s really smart. He’s worked under some great people like Chad Knaus who he said he’s learned from, guys like that. I think being surrounded by everybody at Hendrick Motorsports too helps him as well. It’s truly an honor to be driving his race cars and working under his leadership really helps us all.”
Daniels’ background as a late model driver adds another layer of advantage for Larson, who trusts his input on the car’s behavior at tracks like Martinsville.
Kyle Larson converses with crew chief Cliff Daniels before go time. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
“I think that allows me to trust his input even more. And I think that makes him really good at seeing what the car is doing without me even having to communicate much to him. He can usually see it on the data before I ever have to talk. I feel like he’s really good at diagnosing things and that hopefully, has you find the answer to problems a little quicker.
“And he’s always on the radio with me in Martinsville trying to coach me through how getting around there because I just I don’t know. I don’t feel the most comfortable there. But, yeah, it’s a challenging track, but having him in our corner is definitely good.”
As Larson pursues his third deep playoff run with Hendrick Motorsports, he hopes to turn strong performances into another championship opportunity.
“In 2021, we had so many bonus points that we were pretty confident, I felt like that we could make the final four based off points, but we went out and won the first race of the Round of 8. So that was nice,” Larson said. “In 2023, I think we won the first race of that round as well. We almost did the same thing again this year, but every year is a little bit different, and I wouldn’t compare this year to any that I’ve had at Hendrick Motorsports.
“I think the first third of the season felt very similar to what I remember from 2021, where we were just really strong and leading lots of laps and winning races and all of that, and then it kinda turned sideways. Now it’s kinda been its own its own sort of, challenging year. But we’re still in contention to make the final four, and I feel very confident that if we do, we can compete better than we have in the Next Gen era for a championship.”
This season has been emotionally taxing, with changes to the pit crew and the loss of Jon Edwards, a longtime public relations representative for Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, and most recently, Larson’s liaison.
“This year has been a lot of emotions, a lot of different things, losing Jon Edwards, you’re replacing the pit crew. We’ve had some other crew members come and go, and the team looks very different than it did in April or even early May. So, it’s been a lot. This year is unlike any other so far.”
Larson credits Edwards’ leadership and the perseverance of the team for keeping him focused.
Kyle Larson takes on the tough paperclip known as Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
“Yeah. That’s a good question. I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t I haven’t really thought much about it,” he admitted. “I think our team, I guess myself included, throughout all the distractions or whatever you wanna call it, throughout the year, I feel like we’ve done a good job of staying focused and driven towards what it’s gonna take to continue to compete at a high level. And I think that still comes from the leadership traits that a guy like Jon Edwards had left with us and even our pit crew members.
“And then on top of all that, Cliff leading us through that all, I think we we’ve done good through it. And it’s been a lot, but, yeah, would want nothing more than to make it to Phoenix and compete for a championship, hopefully win the championship, and be able to dedicate it to Jon and even our pit crew that’s been a part of our team before for shaping us to what we are today.”
Given the grind of the NASCAR Cup Series and Larson’s busy racing schedule, at his young age, he has thought a bit about how long he envisions racing full-time in stock car’s premier series.
“That’s definitely… it’s a tough question to ask because I think that thought and idea probably changes every year or probably even less than every year,” Larson said. “Every time I might think about it in my head, it might change. But I think for me, I’m 33 right now. I would I think it’s realistic to see me racing Cup until I’m 40. And then I think that’s probably where I would have to reevaluate where I’m at in my life and career and what my kids are into and where they’re at in their lives.
“That’s almost seven years from now. Owen will be going close to 18 years old by that point. And, yeah, Audrey would be about 14, and Cooper would be about 10, which would be Owen’s age right now. So, life will look a lot different at that point. It probably comes down to really what they’re into and all that, but I really enjoy what I’m doing right now, and I just don’t know if that changes when I’m 40. But that’s the next milestone for me to get to, and then we’ll see.”
Watching his children follow in his racing footsteps provides Larson with a different kind of thrill.
Kyle Larson considers life after full-time racing with his son, Owen, and his daughter, Audrey, carving their paths into racing. (Photo: Yasser Khan | The Podium Finish)
“Yeah. No. It’s fun. It it’s a lot of fun to see them, you know, enjoying racing and getting really involved in it. I wish I could go to a lot more of it. I don’t get to go to quite a bit… I feel like, of their Millbridge stuff, but, yeah, they’ve been traveling a fair bit this year in Oklahoma, Illinois, some places around the Midwest, and I don’t ever get to go to those. But it’s cool that you get to see them building just lifelong memories probably,” he shared. “And they’re both getting competitive. I would say it’s been really fun to see Owen taking it a little bit more serious here lately, and I feel like his results are showing his effort. So that’s made me pretty proud of him.
“And then Audrey, she’s always put in a lot of work at her racing, so that that makes me happy as well. But really, the main thing is just seeing them have fun. I know it stresses Kaitlyn out having to take him to the races all the time, but I know when she’s there, she’s having fun too, and she’s made her own friendships at the track and whatnot. And then Cooper… he’s just out there being crazy and running around while he’s at the track too, so that’s always fun.”
As Martinsville looms, Larson is determined to convert his team’s resilience and track expertise into a championship shot, balancing racing focus with the personal milestones that make the sport meaningful.
Editor’s Notes
Special thanks to Kyle Larson for taking time this week. Also, special thanks to Colby Gorniewicz for his support and kindness with this latest interview and conversation.
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