Hendrick Motorsports, renowned for its success across various NASCAR formats, has welcomed the latest revisions to the NASCAR Chase. The team achieved remarkable success during the three-race elimination period, securing four Cup titles—Jimmie Johnson’s seventh in 2016, Chase Elliott’s first in 2020, and Kyle Larson’s back-to-back championships in 2021 and last season. Despite their expertise in the elimination format, Hendrick also boasts seven titles earned under the previous Chase rules from 2004 to 2014.
Cliff Daniels Confident in New Format’s Advantage for Larson
While Kyle Larson’s two championships came exclusively during the elimination era, his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, believes the upcoming 2026 Chase revisions will play to their strengths. Reflecting on the team’s 2025 season, Daniels emphasized endurance throughout stages as key to remaining competitive, even when mechanical issues or crashes hampered race outcomes.
“Thinking back to our season in 2025, a lot of what kept us in the hunt for the regular-season title fight was the fact that we had some really good races going until a mechanical failure or a late crash, where we did score a lot of stage points, and that kind of kept us in the hunt,”
said Daniels.
“So we’ve lived it a little bit. We’ve seen it. And now, of course, it’s going to be more of a highlight of that, where you’ve got to be there during the stages and put a whole race together. I think it’s going to benefit our team, and we’ve just got to make sure that how we strategize our races, how we execute, that we’re getting those points along the way,”
he added.
Impact of Format Changes on Competition and Strategy
The three-race elimination system often produced unpredictable moments, notably when Larson clinched his title by overtaking Denny Hamlin in the Phoenix finale. With the 2026 Chase format extending the sample size used to determine champions, Daniels views it as a way to reward consistent performance over the entire season rather than outcomes from a handful of races. This provides a broader platform for drivers like Larson to leverage their skills throughout the year.
Additionally, race winners will now receive 55 points instead of 40, increasing the incentive for drivers to pursue victories despite the overall points-based championship approach. Larson enters the new season carrying a 24-race winless streak, his longest since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, but the team remains optimistic about breaking the drought with a blend of speed and steady results.
Looking Ahead to the 2026 NASCAR Season and Larson’s Prospects
With the return of the revised Chase format, Larson and Hendrick Motorsports approach 2026 with a hopeful outlook. Their ability to combine strong stage performance with race-winning potential could make the difference in a championship year shaped by consistent excellence. The upcoming Clash at Bowman Gray, weather permitting, will provide an early test of how well Larson’s team adapts to the renewed structure and what it might mean for their quest to reach victory lane.
For @KyleLarsonRacin and crew chief Cliff Daniels, the focus has reset to 2026 … and preparing to defend their title.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) January 28, 2026
