Cliff Daniels Said Struggles Were ‘Important’ En Route to 2026 Title
· Yahoo Sports
For much of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team did not look like championship contenders. The driver of the No. 5 went winless through the regular season and started the 10-race Chase from the ninth seed.
Yet, behind the scenes, the Hendrick Motorsports team was embracing the struggles. They looked within, learned about themselves, and got back on track when it counted most.
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Larson and the No. 5 team proceeded to put on one of the greatest championship runs to date. The 34-year-old won three races in the Chase and built a sizable points lead in the final three races. After finishing fourth in Stage 1 on Sunday at Homestead, Larson captured his third Cup Series title.
Crew Chief Cliff Daniels on 2026 Struggles: ‘Adversity Was Really Important’
As the No. 5 team celebrated the championship on the frontstretch at Homestead-Miami Speedway, crew chief Cliff Daniels was asked about the trials and tribulations that the 2026 season presented.
“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.
Cliff Daniels reflects on another championship with the No. 5 team. pic.twitter.com/woL6c8omIR
— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) November 9, 2026
Daniels believes the No. 5 team, along with Hendrick Motorsports as a whole, has had their backs against the wall in the past. Ultimately, Larson, Daniels, and the No. 5 group pushed through the trying times, figured it out, and became the 2026 champions.
“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.
Daniels on No. 5 Team’s Resolve: ‘Our Team Knew How to Dig Deep’
By no means throughout the regular season did Larson have the fastest cars. However, when it came down to Chase time, there was one thing the No. 5 team had more than anyone.
Resiliency.
“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.
Larson capped the 2026 campaign with three wins in the Chase, coming at Gateway, Kansas, and Talladega. The Elk Grove, California native became just the third driver in NASCAR history to win three Cup Series titles.