NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 12, 2026
Rick Hendrick, Jeffrey “JB” Brown, Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels met with the media following the announcement of the long-term contract extension for the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson; majority sponsor HENDRICKCARS.COM; and crew chief, Cliff Daniels.
Media Availability Quotes:
You said in the press release this decision was a no-brainer. What made your decision so clear?
Jeffrey J.B. Brown, President of Hendrick Automotive Group: “Good afternoon, everyone, so great to have so many people here that are fans of racing and we are so excited for the start of the season and Daytona being here. Back to the quote you heard in the press release. First, I am going to start with – Reigning NASCAR Champions. And so, what that does to our brand, to the traffic that we get to our sites on a daily basis, you couldn’t have two better representatives than Kyle (Larson) and Cliff (Daniels). And so, as we explored during the last several months with Mr. Hendrick about continuing this partnership, again, it was really a no-brainer. You know, for our organization last year, we sold 213,760 cars. And while you can’t necessarily attribute that to the direct numbers to what Kyle and Cliff do on a weekly basis, we see over 1 million visitors to HENDRICKCARS.COM every single month. And you see the surge in that traffic after a win and certainly after a championship like these guys delivered. So, when we come back and think about what it does for the brand, it’s just an incredible representation. Just for a moment more, I just say what more fantastic leaders they are. It really galvanizes the Hendrick Automotive Group when we get our partnership and our partners at Hendrick Motorsports coming together. I think back to a leadership summit that we had in January, where Cliff, Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews came and spoke. And that partnership of bringing our organizations together is just fantastic. So, for us again, we feel very fortunate and grateful that Mr. Hendrick allows us to deploy capital in this manner and these guys are simply the best.”
Mr. Hendrick, as you think about the # 5 team, what do Kyle, Cliff, and that group represent as the kind of people that it takes to win championships?
Rick Hendrick: “When I think about both of these guys, I think about excellence and that is the part that rings true for me. I have watched Cliff in a leadership position, and everybody knows Kyle’s talent on the track. Just the way he builds his team, the way he leads his people, and they are there to win every week. And that is what, if you are on a car, sponsoring a car, or you own a car, you want to go out and have an opportunity to win. With these guys, we know every time we show up to the racetrack we can win.”
For a fan-building perspective, how big is it to have 35 of 38 races to have that distinctive scheme in an era where everyone is switching sponsors every single week?
Rick Hendrick: “Well, we have had a lot of people as you can imagine want to sponsor that car and I go to J.B. and to Brian and I say, ‘we can replace you’ and (they say) ‘no, it works too well for us’. The consistency when we tie the advertising together and see that we are getting 3-4 times the return on the investment and the fans see the same paint scheme and the same car every week with no confusion. So, I think I really like it and these guys probably want to change the paint scheme sometimes, but I love the paint scheme. I just think when you see Kyle Larson, you see him in that car, with that uniform and I think that makes a big difference.”
Kyle Larson: “Just echoing what he said, I think for me, I love having that brand identity of me being attached to the blue HENDRICKCARS.COM 5 car. It’s hard to kind of relate a driver to a brand I feel like anymore, but when you look at us and our team, there is that connection and identity. I love it and I feel a part of the family with that too, so hopefully we can continue on and on forever.”
For Rick and Kyle, was this a straightforward, simplistic negotiation considering that the team feels like such a good fit for everybody?
Rick Hendrick: “Well, it was expensive. (laughter) No, I wanted these guys in place, and I didn’t want to race against them, and they are part of the family and the fabric of Hendrick Automotive and Hendrick Motorsports. And when you are that involved, and I look at Jeff Gordon standing over here, or Jimmie Johnson. I remember Jeff and I had a lifetime deal, and I know what he meant to our company, and I know what he still means to our company as Vice Chairman. I think Kyle….I wanted to make sure that we were going to have a long, long future together. I would have gone more than that if he wanted to, and I think with these two guys, I want them to retire with me. I wanted to get something on paper so it would take all the questions away. So, for the next five or six years, we could put that in a drawer. We are going to race to win championships and win races.”
Cliff, it’s rare for a crew chief to have a part in an announcement like this and even more rare to have a multi-year deal like this. What does it mean for you to be part of all of this?
Cliff Daniels: “First, thanks for the question. And like J.B. said, thanks to everyone for being here and it’s great to be back in Daytona. Kyle has mentioned it, and Mr. Hendrick has mentioned it, the honor that we have to be a part of the Hendrick family, the brand of HENDRICKCARS.COM, Hendrick Automotive Group and what we do at Hendrick Motorsports, for me, it’s really special and just an honor. Very humbling to be part of such a great group of people that strive for excellence for the brand that we put in dealerships and the brand that we put on the racetrack. To be the leader of the group that is at the racetrack, for me, it’s a lot of fun and to know that J.B., Mr. Hendrick, Kyle and myself, we all have belief in what we are building with the 5 team. Its inspiring and fun to be a part of and certainly happy to keep it going now and into the future.”
Rick Hendrick: “I want to say one thing about Cliff too. He had his guys reading books and we have Hendrick University. And we have management by strengths and how we evaluate how you work with each other. He took his whole organization, and I think most everybody in motorsports has gone now. But the integration of the two and the leadership that Cliff has shown in standing up in front of 100 dealers, and actually teaching, is impressive. I have never seen a crew chief with that talent, drive and enthusiasm. So, we are very lucky to have him not only on the racetrack, not in motorsports, but what he has done as a spokesman on the automobile side.”
Cliff, we have seen occasions where very talented drivers and very talented crew chief combinations just don’t work for whatever reason. What is it about you guys that has really made this click?
Cliff Daniels: “I think it starts with the bedrock of trust. And really, Kyle is so talented behind the wheel, and he is so dedicated and passionate to racing. We see it that he races 90-somthing times a year between Cup and dirt and all the series that he does – that I know his dedication to be excellent and to be great. I think in our relationship together, he has learned that I always want to make myself better, our team better and the journey that we are walking evolve every year. Every year you may have accomplishments, but those are in the rear-view mirror, and the rear-view mirror is small for a reason. You have to look out the windshield. So I think our common pursuit of racing and being really good at it, brings us together and we trust that we are going to do our job, and do it right.”
Cliff, what does this sort of extension do for you as a leader of this group that as long as you achieve what you aim to achieve together, that this can be a longstanding place of stability within the garage?
Cliff Daniels: “I would honestly go back to how Mr. Hendrick leads the companies. We are two years removed from celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports and this year is the 50th anniversary of the Hendrick Automotive Group and when Mr. Hendrick and I were on the phone talking about that, he just celebrated his 53rd wedding anniversary. Mr. Hendrick is the true leader of bringing people together, establishing great relationships, and keeping them for a long time. And so what that does for us is just empower us to continue his legacy and the excellence of that. You know, we bring in new team members, and we teach them to do great things, but he has known how to do great things for a long time. And that is what Mr. Hendrick has established in business and family and racing, so for us, we get to continue that. What an honor and what an opportunity.”
Kyle, what have you seen from Cliff not only as how he leads you as a driver, but in how he leads the guys that work on that 5 car?
Kyle Larson: “Yeah, it’s a lot of I feel like the same. He holds everybody to a high level and like I have said before he is always evolving himself, but he is evolving us as individuals working with him. So, like Rick had mentioned, the book studies, the different things we did together as a team. Last year flag football, paintball – which I wasn’t there for, other events, go cart events, team bonding, sort of things that just unite us. I think it is important and helps us all work better together. I appreciate the work and the effort that he puts into not only building fast race cars, but I think all the other bits and pieces that it takes to be successful. I think that is why we have had the success we have had in a relatively short amount of time.”
For Kyle, is there any reason you wouldn’t sign a lifetime contract if one appeared on your table and for Cliff is there any reason that would make you want to leave Hendrick Motorsports?
Kyle Larson: “For me, I don’t need the contract to know that I will hopefully be there for the rest of my life. I don’t ever foresee a reason for me to want to entertain being a part of another group. I know what I have at Hendrick Motorsports and I know what I have with a great leader with Rick, J.B., Cliff and everybody else – the Jeffs, Chad, you could go on and on. So, maybe a lifetime contract will be the next one. But I am not too worried about it. I am pretty confident in where I am at and don’t have any plans to think about going anywhere else.”
Cliff Daniels: “Yeah and honestly a really similar answer for me. Very grateful for Mr. Hendrick, J.B. and everybody that helped put this together. And then we have Jeff Gordon, Jeff Andrews, Chad, and a whole leadership staff at Hendrick Motorsports. We are trying to be excellent on the racetrack now, but we are also looking into the future of people, talent, and resources of what its going to take. Its really exciting to be a part of and to have a small piece of being able to build that in ways that they have included me in the conversation and looking ahead to the future for all the reasons that I just mentioned. Its inspiring and I am certainly happy to be a part of it and hope to be a big part of it for a long time.”
Kyle, what is the benefit for you to have a five-year deal as opposed to a three-year deal?
Kyle Larson: “I don’t get too wrapped up in the duration or all of that, I really just….its nice to know that I will be here for at least five years and hopefully more. And that is kind of it. I just get to work on trying to win more races and win more championships in the time that I am there. So, yeah, grateful and I feel like it’s a very long-term contract compared to what you see these days. So, I am very happy with all of that and yeah, I think that gets me close to 40 and then we will see after that.”
For J.B., what makes you happy to have these guys represent HENDRICKCARS.COM every week?
J.B. Brown: “On top of being a great driver and a great crew chief, they are great leaders and they are great people. And you heard both of the guys mention the family atmosphere and the trust that is inside our organizations, that is so critically important for us. So, these guys just represent the best of the best of the Hendrick family and of the Hendrick enterprise overall. So, for us we are just thrilled. And back to the leadership comments that we made, when Cliff and Jeff and Jeff and Chad came to our leadership summit, the power of what they talked about – even the perseverance. It’s back to their focus on this constant excellence. But you think back to the last two or three laps of the championship that they delivered, and what these guys went through, and what those lessons of perseverance and thriving under pressure, what that can bring back to the entire Hendrick organization is very, very powerful. So, again, just great representatives and we are just thrilled to have them for a long, long time.”
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