Defending NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson has said that he has enjoyed steady success with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) and hinted he might one day want a contract like Jeff Gordon’s. The two-time Cup Series champion recently signed a five-year extension, but Larson said he does not need a formal lifetime contract to feel secure in his place at HMS.
Larson’s current deal with Hendrick keeps him in the No. 5 Chevrolet through the 2031 NASCAR Cup Series season with his primary sponsor, HendrickCars.com, and his crew chief, Cliff Daniels. Larson first joined Hendrick for the 2021 season after leaving Chip Ganassi Racing, and the move paid off fast. He won the NASCAR Cup title in 2021 and again in 2025 with the team, and the Larson-Daniels pairing has become a top Cup combination.
Larson revealed his wish for a lifetime contract with HMS next decade during a team Chevy press conference Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.
“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. (Brown), Cliff and everybody else, the Jeffs, Chad, you could go on and on,” Kyle Larson said.
“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.”
Since joining HMS, the 33-year-old has become one of the sport’s dominant drivers, notching 26 out of his 32 career wins with the team. Last season, Larson capped a season with three wins by collecting his second Cup championship at Phoenix Raceway and also added Hendrick Motorsports’ 15th series title.
And owner Rick Hendrick revealed that he was happy to commit to Larson to more years and joked he would have extended the contract if Larson had asked:
“Well, it was expensive. … I would have gone more than that if he wanted to.”
Carson Hocevar also signed a long-term extension with Spire Motorsports that keeps him in the No. 77 Chevrolet into the next decade but Larson said he is not much focused on contract durations.
“I Don’t Get Too Wrapped up in the Duration” – Kyle Larson on Contract Length
Kyle Larson also commented on his five-year contract extension instead of the more common three-year one and shared that he is content focusing on winning races and championships rather than worrying about contract length.
“I don’t get too wrapped up in the duration or all of that. … 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. … I think that gets me close to 40 and then we will see after that,” Kyle Larson said.
Meanwhile, Larson earned the eighth starting spot for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season opener, Daytona 500. HMS teammate Chase Elliott, who won one of the dual races on Thursday, will start the race in Row 2 this Sunday.
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