Kyle Larson and his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, are looking forward to mirroring the success they earned en route to winning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series title. However, the task won’t be a walk in the park, considering the new regulations introduced in 2026 and the new Chase format.

After seven races, Larson has secured only four Top 10 finishes, including a podium at Phoenix Raceway. Meanwhile, the changes in the racing format are already being felt in the HMS garage, as Daniels admitted during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

"The way the old points format was, the regular season still really did have a big impact," said Daniels. "With stages paying playoff points, more than just, you know, regular season points, there was always that carrot to go get with getting a stage win, plus, you know, the points payout at the end of regular season. Points that paid playoff points moving ahead, and that was always a big deal to us.”

NASCAR is back to its traditional ‘Chase’ format with a more straightforward 10-race playoff. This is expected to significantly change the dynamic of racing on track and affect all drivers, including Kyle Larson and his pursuit of a third Cup title.

Because race winners won't get a direct pass into the playoffs, this will reduce reckless attempts from guaranteed playoff entrants to obtain a higher position during any regular-season race.

The big change Kyle Larson's crew chief is expecting in the Chase

Kyle Larson has affirmed that the Chase format "plays to Hendrick Motorsports' strengths very well." Though his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, hasn't taken a stance on how HMS might fare under the new system, he is expecting a significant strategic shift as we get closer to the playoffs.

The chase will start after the 26 races of the regular season. Here, the top 16 drivers will compete for the title. While speaking about the same on SiriusXM Radio, Daniels said:

"Everyone is still chasing regular-season points, really the way that we always have. I think where we may see some differences start to show up is going to be once we get closer to the Chase, and we get into the Chase without having the reset, you know, of every three races, and win and you’re in, and having that guarantee. I think that’s when some of the strategy may change just a little bit on how people approach, you know, getting through those 10 weeks of the chase."

Heading into the 2026 Food City 500 weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson should have high hopes. He has three wins at the 0.533-mile oval, the last of which came last year.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak