Every year, Thanksgiving brings together friends and family. NASCAR drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. are celebrating the occasion with their beloved family members and closest friends. However, the nature of the celebration takes on a brighter sheen when it comes to the championship household. For Kyle Larson, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Thanksgiving means having a gala time with not just his own family, but also his extended family at Hendrick Motorsports.

We all know how the No. 5 HMS team executed its title run, capitalizing perfectly on a late-race caution. Kyle Larson toppled the race leader and championship favorite Denny Hamlin, while beating the other two rivals in William Byron and Chase Briscoe. Larson recently entered an arena again – but this time against his own crew members.

Kyle Larson sweats it out with his colleagues

In a recently posted video by Hendrick Motorsports, all the crew members of the No. 5 team were in the spotlight. Usually, most of them work behind the scenes with Kyle Larson and his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, at the forefront. But now, all of them were shown playing a feisty game of American football. The bright smiles and the energetic postures said it all – the HMS crew were having a fun time. The ball passed from one hand to another, with Daniels making impressive moves towards the goal. The caption of the video read, “Turkey Bowl fun with the No. 5 team and @KyleLarsonRacin 🏈”

What can be a more perfect way of spending Thanksgiving? Clearly, Kyle Larson and Co. had a fun day sorted. The football session was the perfect reunion of the championship-winning team. Fans still get chills remembering the last few laps of the Phoenix Raceway finale. It was the two-tire call made by Cliff Daniels, who also seemingly aced the football game, that led Larson to the win. “He works so hard. He puts in so much effort, not only on this team but on himself personally,” Larson said of Daniels. “We all want it so bad for ourselves, but even more for him and his leadership and how hard he works at it.”

It has been over three weeks since the championship, and HMS is now garnering attention for its festive season plans. While Thanksgiving was sorted, Christmas plans are underway – with HMS offering Black Friday sales on its glittering merchandise. Fans can get everything from hats and die-casts to comfortable hoodies at the online store at 20% off.

While the off-season activities snowball inside Hendrick Motorsports, preparations for 2026 are also in full swing.

Hendrick’s youngster is gearing up

Just over a week away from his birthday, Corey Day feels excited. He will drive the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series next season. And he spent 2025 meticulously preparing for it, flitting between the Xfinity Series, CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, and ARCA Series in addition to Trans-Am TA2 events and sprint car racing. His best finish was a fourth-place run at Las Vegas. He was also solidly in the top 10 at Phoenix until pit strategies and caution flags shuffled him back a bit. Day finished in the top 15 in four of his last six Xfinity starts.

Corey Day reflected on his tough year: “I’d say the first half of the season was tough for sure because I was just making all the stupid mistakes, which, unfortunately, you kind of need to make those,” Day said. “People can tell you that this is going to happen, so don’t do that, but until you go do it and feel it and feel why you don’t need to do it – I just felt like I needed to make those and go through the growing pains, and that’s what I did.” He added, “It was tough, for sure, but I know next year my progression will be a lot faster and a lot smoother overall.”

With a bright new star on board, HMS will have greater ambitions next year. Let’s wait and see how Kyle Larson and Corey Day perform in 2026.