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2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.
I can't believe I'm here, honestly, right now, talking to you as a champion.
Can you shotgun a beer like that?
I can't even sip a beer, dude.
To be with Rick Hendrick in Hendrick Motorsports,
I love that I've been able to reward him
for taking a sacrifice on me now with a second championship.
Welcome to Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on Fox,
and we are delighted to have our 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson,
joining us. Congrats, Kyle. What a day.
Yeah, dude.
Thank you. No, it's wild.
I mean, obviously, yeah, how the whole race transpired for us
and especially the last 10, 15% of the race was crazy.
So, yeah, I can't believe I'm here, honestly, right now, talking to you as a champion
with how our race was going, but regardless, just pumped and proud of the team.
It was pretty amazing.
When you're going through the really, you know, this weekend is a little bit
different than the rest of your weekends.
You have the extra practice day, and then you come back and qualify.
You have all that time to think about it and you get into the race.
What was the, what were the emotions like?
I mean, you had the flat tire, you had got a lap down, you came back,
and then it comes down to a second two-tire call there at the end of the race.
What were the emotions like in the car?
It had to be, at some point, it had to be, man, we're out of this thing,
and the next thing you know, you just show up and you've got
a track position with a couple laps to go.
Yeah, no, I mean, I think for me all weekend, I felt good about things
and thought we had a good practice, we qualified good.
I was feeling good about it.
And then you kind of, as soon as the race started, I was just like,
oh no, we're pretty average here and it's going to take a lot of hard work
to try and win.
But then I still didn't foresee our race playing out at all like it did,
you know, with having the bad pit stop, fallback to 18th,
actually had a good restart, got back inside the top 10
and that led into the flat tire.
When I got the flat tire, I was like, dang, we're definitely done now.
You know, I'm probably going to lose two laps here.
And somehow he stayed, you know, one lap down in front of the leaders
and then the caution came out right away.
And I was like, okay, we're going to get back on the lead lap here.
We're still not completely dead, but I feel pretty close to dead
because I'm slow and now I'm on a disparity with tires.
And then, yeah, I just didn't make any ground up really.
And then, yeah, I honestly, I wasn't even thinking two tires,
the initial two tire stop we did.
And like right as I was turning the stall, they said,
you were taking right sides.
And I was like, oh my gosh, we're just completely desperate at this point.
And this is going to be embarrassing.
It's like, I hope I just don't crash the field on this restart.
Truly is what I was thinking.
And then I went through one and two and I had a lot of grip.
And I was like, man, I might get to the lead here.
And then, you know, my mindset changed.
You know, obviously I fell back to fifth or whatever,
but still had some hope then that if we got a caution,
you know, maybe we would take right sides again.
And yeah, that's what happened.
And your team and I were on the same page about taking right sides.
And I just, you know, that first rep at it gave me a lot of confidence
leading that final restart that I was going to have the grip I needed to
do the restart that we had.
And, you know, hopefully edge out Denny.
Well, you look at the, you look at the, you just your career,
you were to rookie year in 2014 and now you're a two-time champion.
And, you know, I think when, when I look at your team in particular,
I've been fortunate to kind of have a little glimpse inside of the team
at the All-Star race a couple of years ago.
And when I, I hadn't been around Cliff that much.
And when I listened to the leadership and just his approach
and everything that goes with that, it seems like in the car,
you're constantly just, okay, whatever, I believe in you.
And so talk to me about how that leadership and his role
and what you guys do.
I think a lot of people don't really understand just how the,
the crew chief has progressed in today's racing to be what they are.
It's a 24-7 full-time job and a therapist at the same time.
Just talk about how that relationship has evolved
and what it means to what happened yesterday and really everything
that you've done up to this point.
Yeah, no, it's, I mean, he's the greatest leader, I think,
in our sport as far as crew chiefs go.
And, you know, he's just great for me.
You know, he keeps me motivated.
He keeps all of us motivated and energized all the time.
And I would say, yes, you know, our relationship
and our careers have evolved with each other over the course
of the five or so years we've been together.
His leadership has really evolved over the course
of really last two or three years.
You know, he's always been a great leader,
but I feel like he's put a huge emphasis on leadership skills
and what it takes to lead a team and lead individuals
to be the best versions of themselves.
And so yeah, I'm very proud of him for finding the time
really to work on himself like that.
And I would say, you know, the work that he's put in
and really put us in this position throughout the playoffs
to win a championship and then especially the race yesterday.
So there's just a lot of hard work.
And yeah, I think the crew chief of today definitely looks
much different than it did a decade ago,
especially in the next gen style of car.
I think it's just really about, you know, the best teams,
I think have the best leaders on top of the pit box.
And thankfully for me,
I think I have the best one in the whole garage.
When you look at your year, you guys fired off really well.
You got to Indy kind of stumbled a little bit
through the summer there and then kind of got back on track.
Talk to me about where you got back on track
because I felt like, and I'm just guessing here
just from the outside looking in.
When I look at St. Louis, it seemed like,
okay, kind of got some of that speed back
that they had at the beginning of the year.
Talk about the evolution of your season
and just the speed at the beginning,
kind of the flat spot and where it turned around.
Yeah.
Yeah, we had a ton of speed.
I think the schedule sets up really well for me.
Typically the early part of the season,
it's a lot of mile and a half
and Bristol's thrown in there
and the homestead was in there this year,
early in the year.
So the schedule just naturally set up well for me.
But then, yeah, I had the double stuff
and just my confidence got down
and then tied in with, I think, our car performance
kind of taking a slight dip.
And then, yeah, we just kind of lived in that realm
for a little while.
And for us, I think the turning point was Darlington,
which led into Gateway.
But Darlington, all four of us just were really bad
and that's not typical for us to be bad there.
That's usually one of our best tracks as an organization.
So I think that just really opened everybody's eyes
at engine motorsports like,
okay, we've got a problem somewhere
that we've been overlooking.
And yeah, they dug at it all week
and kind of learned where they thought we were off.
And then, yeah, then we took that
and implemented it at Gateway the next week
with a new short track package.
And us, you know, at least the five team were super fast
and had a great weekend going.
We didn't finish well, but we had a lot of speed.
And then from that moment on,
I would say I had a lot more confidence that was like,
man, I think if we can get to the final four,
we're going to have a good shot at Phoenix.
But Phoenix was still a normal Phoenix for me.
I was still very average,
but at least I had more confidence going into it.
Well, the good news is you don't have to go back to Phoenix next year.
You get to cycle that into Homestead,
which you're not so average at.
You're way above average there.
So you get to make that run at Homestead next year.
We saw a lot of tire issues yesterday.
And in my opinion, I like where Goodyear is going.
You know, I think that the things that we've seen this year
are a great evolution in the steps that they need to take
and can refine that.
I hope they don't go backwards.
What's your opinion on where they've been with the tire?
I always, I guess my experience in the past
has been the teams want to push, push, push.
And I'd rather there be some tire failures
and some tire wear out.
Where do you sit on what we saw yesterday?
Yeah, I think another crack at it too.
I think crew chiefs would get to a point where we wouldn't have
tire failures and we would get to see longer runs
with the tire wearing and the pace falling off even more.
So yeah, I agree.
I think they're headed in a much better direction.
I think it's a harder tire to get a feel for,
at least for me, you know,
I still am trying to learn the softer tire.
And I think that's why a big part of why I think I
struggled yesterday was just my lack of feel for it.
But yeah, I think it's, I think it's good.
Even Bristol, you know, I didn't,
I didn't hate Bristol this time around.
I think it's a little bit extreme of tire wear
and there's really not a whole lot of tire management
that you can do.
But yeah, I applaud Goodyear and them for,
you know, doing what they're doing to get a better tire.
And I think now I think you'd agree
if we could get stage racing out,
I think we would see even better,
you know, strategy and better runs
and a mix of things going on throughout the race.
So you, you look overall,
it seems like there's a,
there's a lot of changes coming within the sport.
We talk about the point system.
We talk about tires.
We talk about next gen cars.
Is there that one thing at the top of your list?
You're like, this is what I,
if I was in charge for a day,
I would focus on what?
Yeah, good question.
I don't know.
I mean, I think obviously you,
because we are in the playoff era
and just experienced what we all experienced yesterday.
I think, I think the format,
which has already been,
you talked about changing for a while now,
especially this year.
I think, and I don't know what the format would be that,
you know, we may potentially have,
but I think, I think a format,
you know, mix up would be good for our sport.
I think there's a way to keep it exciting
or make it even more exciting
while also you're crowning,
you're the fairest or more fair champion.
So, yeah, I think that's what we all probably look to see.
Sure, you know, I think the more horsepower
is a step in the right direction.
I don't know if it's going to,
you know, make as big a changes as we all hope,
but I applaud NASCAR for looking at,
you know, how we can make the racing,
make the series, make it all more exciting
and yeah, so it was just a work in progress.
I think as we have this next gen car,
you know, it's, it's kind of next gen everything.
When you, when you got done last night
and you, and you, I saw a video of your wife
shotgunning a beer first.
Can you shotgun a beer like that?
No, I can't even sip a beer dude.
I, I struggle.
I don't like beer at all.
Well, she's, she's definitely good at it.
How was the celebration last night?
Did you guys, did you guys have anything fun?
No, we had a good time.
Cliff stayed out of the ER this year.
So that was good.
That's a plus.
Yeah.
Yeah, but no, it was good.
It was, I mean, you've won a championship
and you won yours on the East coast.
So man, it was probably super late when you got done,
but yeah, you know how long it takes.
So it's, it's gosh, probably twice as long as the races,
the post race stuff.
So yeah, by the time we got out of there,
I think it was like 1030 and got to the house for standing
and showered, got some in and out burger
and headed straight for Old Town Scottsdale.
So it was good, you know, it was,
it was more than just the five team was out there.
You all the champions actually ended up being out.
So Jesse Love was out there.
Corey Heim, even Connor Zillich, even Denny,
Denny came out too.
So that was, that was really cool.
And yeah, some people from NASCAR.
So it was a good, it was a good group
and everybody had a good time.
Well, I remember pieces of my NASCAR cup celebration
and I had a, I had a Budweiser sponsorship at that time.
So there were 80 cases of beer in Victory Lane.
So as you can imagine, that was,
that was definitely a different celebration.
When you look at,
when you look at everything that you manage,
this is the part that always intrigues me about you.
You have sprint cars, you have Indy car,
you have NASCAR.
What do you do at the beginning of the year?
Do you sit down and say,
okay, here's where I'm going to race around my cup schedule?
Do you have a certain number of races that you want to race?
How do you plan your schedule?
Because it's, it's as intense a schedule as,
as you could possibly put together.
Yeah, it is.
And then you, I mean,
you also got a factor in like my kid's schedule too.
So I try to get to those in my can.
So it's, I'm at the racetrack a lot,
but yeah, I really enjoy, you know,
the off season when, when obviously NASCAR has put their schedule out,
but you know,
when they start getting these dirt racing schedules out,
I get a whole spreadsheet going of, you know, all,
all the races I could run throughout the year,
which is usually over a hundred.
And then I kind of start weeding,
weeding some out and whatnot.
But I'll be honest,
the last couple of years I've probably done too much.
And I do get a little bit burnt out in the summer.
So I'll probably try to dial it back a little bit,
the best that I can,
but it's also tough because I want to compete at a high level
in everything I do.
And there's a lot of big sprint car races that I can run throughout
the year and I want to be prepared for those.
So it's like a, a fine, a hard balance of, you know,
how much I compete so we can get our car better and stay
competitive with those guys and fresh and also not taking
focus away from the NASCAR side of things.
So, and then also balance in the family.
So it's, it's, it's tough,
but I'll probably tweak my schedule a little bit next year,
but still you'll get in 30, 30 sprint car races,
which is a lot, but maybe, you know,
not 50 that I have on my schedule before the season starts.
Well, the good news is they, they changed the,
they changed the limit of races for the Xfinity or whatever
it's called next year.
I'll call it the grand national series in the truck.
So you can do more at the same racetrack instead of having
to go somewhere else.
Yeah. No, I'll probably, I don't think I'll,
I don't think I'll be able to get to the limit on the
Xfinity side.
I think we're all going to share a car like we typically
have done, but yeah, I picked out a few.
So I'm already excited about whatever that series is called
next year with you, but yeah, no, it's, it's fun.
I enjoy doing that stuff.
I enjoy, you know, getting a race really whenever I can
and especially the tracks that I enjoy.
So yeah, I look forward to that and look forward to getting
to do all the races that I get to.
All right. Last question.
You drive for arguably probably the most famous,
one of the most famous owners that,
that has ever blessed this sport with his commitment
to, to what it is.
You went through all that you went through.
You come to Hendrick motor sports.
You've won two championships.
What's it like to work for, for Rick Hendrick?
And, and be able to have every asset and resource and go race
all the cars that you want and Rick and Jeff and everybody
believe in what you do away from, from what they do,
which is a 180 from, from where they were when,
when Jimmy Johnson was there.
What's it like just to work for Hendrick motor sports?
Well, I mean, it's amazing and it's a blessing that,
you know, I even got back to the cup series,
but to be, you know, with Rick Hendrick and Hendrick
motor sports and, you know, he's the ultimate leader.
And I think that's why he attracts so many great employees
and workers for him, not only in motor sports,
but the automotive industry.
It's just, he's a, he's a, he's a humble person.
You always feel like he cares a lot about you
and I appreciate that and love that.
And, and yeah, he gives you all the resources that you
need to do the best job possible job you can.
And he's implemented the right people in all the right places
and he's just built the ultimate empire.
So I love, I have loved my time there.
I love that I've been able to reward him for taking
a sacrifice on me now with a second championship
and, you know, to, to hang another banner there
with all the history and legacy that they've had
at Hendrick motor sports is amazing.
So, yeah, I've loved my time there
and I hope to be a retire someday down the road
at Hendrick motor sports with, with a lot more wins
and championships, but yeah, right now to this point
it's been, it's just been a dream come true.
And I'm, I'm so grateful and thankful.
Well, you're going to get a lot more wins
and more championships and you're a two time
cup series champion.
So congratulations.
I hope you enjoy every minute of it.
Don't forget to do that, which I know hopefully you won't do,
but enjoy it all, take it all in and have a great off season
and appreciate you taking the time today.
Yeah, thanks a lot, Kevin.
About this episode
Kyle Larson reflects on his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship journey, discussing the emotional highs and lows of the race, including a flat tire setback and a bold two-tire strategy that led to victory. He praises crew chief Cliff Daniels' leadership evolution and the team's resilience throughout the season. Larson shares insights on tire performance, NASCAR's evolving race formats, and balancing his intense racing schedule across multiple series. He also expresses gratitude for racing under Rick Hendrick's leadership at Hendrick Motorsports, highlighting the support and resources that helped him achieve his success.
Original notes
Kyle Larson joins Kevin Harvick after winning his second NASCAR Cup Series Championship, and he is still processing the magnitude of it all. Larson explains the emotional rollercoaster of the title race, how shocked he was to even be in position after the chaos unfolded, and breaks down the critical moments including his flat tire and the move that changed everything after the caution. Larson reflects on his entire season, how he approaches planning his schedule, and why this championship means so much to him personally. Kevin and Kyle also discuss what this title means for Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports, and Larson shares how special it is to bring another championship home for the organization.
0:00 - Intro
0:41 - Kyle Larson Joins The Show!
1:26 - Emotions Of The Race
4:04 - Cliff Daniels’ Leadership
6:37 - Evolution Of The 2025 Season
8:40 - Tires At Phoenix
10:20 - Opinion On Playoff Format Changes
11:52 - Championship Celebration
13:24 - Planning Season Schedule
16:02 - Winning For Hendrick Motorsports
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