Hendrick team putting finishing touches on long-term Homestead prep

Homestead-Miami Speedway returning as the NASCAR championship finale was made official 18 months ago, and on that day, Hendrick Motorsports began thinking about what it would take to compete for a NASCAR Cup Series championship there. 

“As a company, we have been thinking about Homestead … since they announced it on the schedule and the prep of what it would take to do that,” said Cliff Daniels, crew chief of Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevy. “What makes it unique is that when Phoenix became the finale, you still went to Phoenix twice a year, and now the last race at Homestead was almost two years ago. It’s been a long time. So, a lot of things have changed since then.”

The garage changes. Chevrolet changed its body. And there are always other things a team would need to wrap its hands around from year to year.

But “at this point,” said Daniels, “I think it’s going to be very in line for us to stay with the prep that we’ve already put in place. There are so many good things that we’ve built to get us to this point for Homestead that we’ve got to see it through, and we’ve got to give justice to all the work that’s put in by not counting it too early. You still have to put your head down, prepare a good car, and go execute a solid weekend.”

The initial plan was one thing. In the last few weeks, however, Daniels said that Kyle Larson’s No. 5 team has been 10-out-of-10 in preparation for Homestead. They take a 67-point lead into championship weekend and only need nine points to win the title.

There is no better place for the team to try to close out this year.

“Yeah, of course, especially with how Phoenix just went for us,” Daniels said. “It’s great to go back to Homestead. Of course, it’s a great place for Kyle and our team, but also sentimental for the sport, so many years that Homestead was the finale. Such a great place to go; got a lot of special memories there, It’s going to be a great week for prep for us, and looking forward to having a solid weekend.”

Daniels has no doubt that Larson will be rim-riding all day Sunday. He knows it is where his driver is the most comfortable, and it is what Homestead-Miami rewards.

Larson has never previously been in contention for the title at Homestead when it was the finale. Both titles for Larson and Daniels came at Phoenix Raceway in 2021 and ’25. 

No one has repeated as Cup Series champion since former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson. The stretch spanned five years, from 2006 to 2010.

Daniels is also looking to make history for himself with a third title. Only one other crew chief, Ray Evernham, won three titles in his first seven full seasons.