Kyle Larson finally ended his 51-race winless streak at Gateway, surviving a late restart battle with Joey Logano and Alex Bowman to return to Victory Lane. But behind the breakthrough was a rare moment of disagreement between Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports team. With the race reaching a crucial late stage, Larson expected a different pit strategy from crew chief Cliff Daniels and had to find the courage to speak up. For a driver who says they are on the same page 99% of the time, this was an unusual call to challenge.
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“The whole time I’m like, ‘Man, if they all three pit off in front of me, like I wanna stay out.’ And then, yeah, before the pit stop he was like, ‘Hey, if all of them stay out,’ or sorry, ‘pit, you stay out.’ So yeah, we ended up being on the same page which, which I would say 99% of the time we are. But this time was just like, ‘All right, I feel like I need to speak up here,’” Larson told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
That moment captured just how unusual the situation was for Larson and Cliff Daniels. The Hendrick Motorsports driver normally relies heavily on his crew chief and the No. 5 team’s calls, but the circumstances at Gateway made Larson believe the strategy needed to change.
The 13th caution of the race flew on Lap 200, setting up another crucial sequence late in the event. Two laps later, the majority of the field headed to pit road, with Brad Keselowski in second, Ty Gibbs in fifth, Ryan Preece in 12th, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Ross Chastain among those staying out.
Joey Logano emerged from pit road first after taking two tires, followed by Chase Briscoe and Josh Berry. Larson, however, went with four tires. The decision put him at a disadvantage in track position compared with some of the drivers ahead, but it gave him a significant grip advantage for the final restart.
That difference ultimately became critical. Larson used the fresh rubber to work his way through the field during the late restart battles, eventually passing Logano and Bowman before securing the win in double overtime. What could have been a conservative call became one of the defining decisions of Larson’s breakthrough victory.
Yet the strategy was not initially what Larson expected from his team. He explained that he was preparing to accept a two-tire call but felt there was a chance several cars ahead of him would make the same decision. That would have left him restarting around 10th or potentially deeper in the field, while also putting him behind drivers with relatively little tire advantage.
Larson explained his thinking, saying, “I was kinda expecting them to… Well, hopeful that they would say four tires and then whatever our pit call was, was for two, and I was like, ‘Oh, man. All right, let me try and get the courage up here to tell him what I need.’”
Daniels had previously encouraged Larson to speak up whenever he had a strong feeling about a decision. Larson eventually did exactly that.
“He’s always told me, you know, if I ever think something, like don’t be afraid to say it. So, um, so yeah, I was like, ‘Well, I’m thinking four tires.’ And they were like, ‘Okay,’ and thought about it. And then, yeah, I called out four tires as we came down for our pit stop and, uh, yeah, it worked out.”
For Larson, the decision was less about believing four tires would guarantee a victory and more about giving himself the best chance to finish strongly. He said, “I wasn’t even thinking about winning really. I was just like, ‘Okay, I just want the grip to try and go finish as high as possible.’”
The unusual disagreement also stands out because Larson and Daniels have generally operated in remarkable sync. Their communication and willingness to trust each other played a major role in Larson’s 2025 Cup Series championship.
At Phoenix, Larson, based on Daniels’ call, took two tires during an overtime restart to gain track position over Denny Hamlin and finished third, which was enough to secure the title. Hamlin took four tires after that strategy had worked for him on an earlier restart. Larson’s decision showed the same trust and understanding that has defined his relationship with Daniels.
Gateway simply required Larson to challenge that process for once. And with the No. 5 team eventually finding victory lane, his willingness to speak up became a crucial part of the winning strategy.