Kyle Larson Publicly Admits HMS’ Championship 4 Weakness with Masterplan to Ace Playoffs

Hendrick Motorsports has been knocking on the door of NASCAR Cup Series titles, but the final step at Phoenix Raceway keeps tripping them up. In 2023, Kyle Larson made the Championship 4 and led laps but couldn’t match Team Penske’s long-run speed, finishing third in the standings.

In 2024, William Byron carried Hendrick’s hopes with six regular-season wins but faded late at Phoenix as Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell stole the show. Hendrick’s cars dominate intermediates and road courses, with Larson, Byron, and Chase Elliott firmly locked in the playoffs. Still, Phoenix—the site of the championship—remains their Achilles’ heel.

Now, in 2025, with the playoffs heating up at World Wide Technology Raceway’s Enjoy Illinois 300, Larson has laid out Hendrick’s weak spot and a plan to fix it, aiming to finally crack the Phoenix code. Larson zeroes in on Gateway as the key to unlocking success in Phoenix.

Larson’s plan to crack the Phoenix puzzle

In a recent Bob Pockrass interview, Larson says, “Why I think in the years we’ve run Gateway already, it’s always to me the one track that shows who’s going to be good at Phoenix. Penske and Gibbs, they’re always really good there. So I think if we can… and we’ve been really bad at Gateway but a little bit better at Phoenix. So if we can get good at Gateway, at least be on the same.”

Gateway and Phoenix share flat layouts, heavy braking zones, and tricky corner exits that demand precision. Penske and Gibbs have dominated these tracks in recent years, with Joey Logano winning Gateway and Phoenix in 2022, while Kyle Busch has consistently thrived. Hendrick’s best finish at Gateway remains a distant 13th by Larson in 2024, marking it as a glaring weak spot.

Larson’s focus on Gateway as a “bellwether” for Phoenix highlights where Hendrick must improve to close their rivals’ flat-track gap. He adds, “Being in the same ballpark as them would give us some confidence going to Phoenix.” Earlier in 2025, Larson ran a Goodyear tire test at Gateway, a pivotal moment that yielded new setup ideas critical for flat tracks and similar venues.

Hendrick Motorsports, typically dominant on intermediates and superspeedways, needs to nail Gateway for both technical and psychological momentum heading into Phoenix. Crew chief Cliff Daniels has spent the year tweaking setups to close the gap after seeing Penske and Gibbs outrun them recently.

Larson candidly admits, “Based off while we were at Phoenix at the end of last year and then in spring this year, we knew we had no shot to win the championship with the setup we had, so we had to go to work and we’ve still been continuing to work on it.” This hard truth follows Larson’s third-place finish in the 2023 Championship 4 and a near-miss top-five at Phoenix in spring 2024, both underscoring Hendrick’s long-run pace deficit vs. rivals.

Larson’s master plan is clear: perfect the flat-track game at Gateway to own Phoenix later.

Hendrick’s Darlington wake-up call

The 2025 playoff opener at Darlington was meant to be a statement for Hendrick, but ended as a sobering reality check. Larson started strong with a 26-point cushion, tying Byron for the points lead—the tightest margin ever for a top seed. Chase Elliott sat seventh, while Alex Bowman struggled below the cut line.

Qualifying saw only Larson crack the top 10 with a P5, while Byron qualified 11th, Elliott 21st, and Bowman 29th. Race day was dominated by Toyota teams, with Chase Briscoe winning and Denny Hamlin finishing seventh. Hendrick’s best effort was Elliott’s 17th, followed by Larson’s 19th, Byron’s 21st, and Bowman finishing 31st, delivering a blow to the team’s championship hopes.

Standings reflect the hit. Larson dropped to third but maintains a 38-point cushion over the cut line. Byron sits fifth, 25 points above, while Elliott holds to 11th, just nine points clear. Bowman faces a 19-point deficit and must win or hope for miracles to continue.

Crew chief Rudy Fugle did not sugarcoat the situation: “We’re embarrassed. We’ve got to execute a lot better all around. Nothing comfortable. We didn’t do s**t today. We’ve got to improve and get better and race our ass off every week or it’s going to be a long offseason.”

This fire fuels Larson’s focus on Gateway’s flat layout as the opportunity to prove Hendrick has learned from Darlington and Phoenix struggles. With Larson leading the charge, the team digs in to turn “almost” into a championship run at WWTR and beyond.