Kyle Larson and his chief, Cliff Daniels, will head into 2026 looking to replicate the success of 2025, the year that saw them win their second Cup Championship. Not a lot can go wrong, Daniels recently acknowledged, but there are two things he wants to keep an eye on.
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Heading into the new season with a revamped format should prove favorable given Larson’s consistent performance over the years, although it was the elimination format that helped him win in 2025 in the first place. According to Daniels, two hurdles confront Hendrick Motorsports in its 2026 title defense, and neither involves speed, setups, or competition.
The real adversaries, in Daniels’ view, are the “Two principles that we are at war against, complacency and entitlement,” as he revealed her Hendrick Motorsports‘ website.
He understands that there is a natural human tendency to relax, to assume the work has already been done, or to believe the team’s position at the top entitles it to continued success. That mindset, he feels, is precisely how champions begin to lose, and validation quickly becomes a trap. The moment a team believes it has reached the top, it stops evolving, and NASCAR punishes stagnation swiftly.
“We are combating the complacency with our commitment to improving the growth mindset of daily excellence, and then the entitlement part, I just really don’t have a lot of time for that,” Daniels continued.
“I always believe whatever you just did, a win, the accolade to go with that, whatever it may be, someone is always studying to beat that. So, we kind of have to beat ourselves. We have to improve on what we’ve done before, and that’s the only way we’re ever going to win again,” he added.
Larson resonated perfectly with Daniels’s thought process, and he simply admitted to thinking along the same lines.
The No. 5 driver thinks and works like a competitor and moves on quickly. His focus shifts immediately to the next race and the next championship. “It’s not like I’m chasing another number or anything. I’m trying to do a good job, and all that stuff takes care of itself. Maybe, once I’m closer to the end of my career, I’ll appreciate that stuff even more than I already do, or at least be more vocal about it.”
For now, Larson and Co. stand ready to compete again, beginning with the Daytona 500 on February 15.
