NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick (left) congratulates Kyle Larson (right) after winning the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 08, 2026. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

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Add another NASCAR Cup Series Championship to Rick Hendrick’s collection as the most successful team owner in NASCAR history. Kyle Larson’s third NASCAR Cup Series Championship as a driver gave Hendrick a record-extending 16^th in 32 seasons.

Hendrick Motorsports actually began as All-Star Racing in 1984 with Geoff Bodine as the driver before changing the name to Hendrick Motorsports in 1985.

It was 10 years later when Hendrick claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship as Jeff Gordon won the title in 1995. The following season, Terry Labone won the Cup title before Gordon won back-to-back Cup Series Championships in 1997 and 1998.

Since then, Hendrick Motorsports has literally been off to the races.

Hendrick Motorsports Impressive Championship Drivers

Of the team’s incredible championship history, Jimmie Johnson won seven, joining Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt as the only drivers ever to win that many in the history of NASCAR. Gordon won four titles, one more than Larson’s three. Labonte (1996) and Chase Elliott (2020) each scored single NASCAR Cup Series Championships for Hendrick Motorsports.

The Chevrolet team has become the class of the field when it comes to success in NASCAR’s top series.

Hendrick stood behind Larson as he hoisted the NASCAR Cup Series Trophy on the championship stage at Homestead-Miami Speedway in a race that was won by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney.

It was the second-straight year Blaney won the final NASCAR Cup Series race of the season.

Rick Hendrick’s Business Success In The Automotive Industry

It was another proud accomplishment for the 77-year-old Hendrick, one of the most successful automotive dealers in the United States.

This was the 50^th Anniversary for the Hendrick Automotive Group, that began in 1976.

Hendrick Automotive Group operates 141 franchises representing 31 manufacturer nameplates across 13 states from the Carolinas to California. Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 11,000 people in its 103 dealership locations, 22 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states.

It generates over $13.6 billion in annual revenue, selling more than 200,000 vehicles and servicing 2.5 million cars and trucks annually.

NASCAR Provides Rick Hendrick With Competitive Intensity

A winner in business, Hendrick’s competitive fire is on display in NASCAR, and his latest NASCAR Cup Series Championship was “Sweet 16.”

“I thought maybe I would get to win one championship because it was always Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress when we went to New York,” Hendrick said. “Thank Goodness and thank God for all the awesome drivers and crew chiefs that we have had along the way.

“I’m really proud of all of them.”

It was Hendrick Motorsports third championship in the last six seasons and the second straight for Larson, who now has three NASCAR Cup Series titles.

With crew chief Cliff Daniels leading the No. 5 Chevrolet effort, Larson got hot at the right time, delivering a remarkably successful streak over the final 10-race Chase to claim the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

“We’re really honored to have both Cliff Daniels and Kyle. They are an awesome combination, and the guys have worked really hard all year. We didn’t look too good early on and we said, we just have to dig in and not listen to the distractions. That is what everybody did and it paid off.”

From A Lengthy Winless Streak To A Third Cup Championship

It’s hard to believe that Kyle Larson endured a lengthy winless streak that finally came to an end in 2026, and have that serve as the impetus for the Chase. But that is exactly what happened at Hendrick Motorsports.

“Kyle got up one day and said, ‘Listen, nobody can beat us if we work together,’” Hendrick recalled a few hours after the race. "That wasn’t Kyle Larson two years ago. He wouldn’t have had that input to all the crew chiefs and the drivers. Cliff believes in management by strength. They all take tests. They know how to communicate. They read books. He’s an unbelievable coach and motivator. He has brought Kyle along and out.

"Kyle actually took a leadership role in saying, Guys, nobody can beat us if we work together. That’s when he hadn’t won a race and we’d only won two, right before we started the Chase.

"I’m really proud of this guy and all of the guys that work together. Kept their heads down and just didn’t give up. You could see it starting to elevate with everyone. I thought William (Byron, another Hendrick Motorsports driver) really had a shot tonight. We’ve closed the gap. We’re not where we need to be. But it’s because of it’s one team with four cars and four crew chiefs working together.

“I’m so proud of them. That’s the best I’ve ever seen. We’ve never seen it as tight as it is right now.”

Kyle Larson’s Third NASCAR Cup Series Championship

The 34-year-old Larson now has his third NASCAR Cup Series Championship in his 12th full-time season. He is the 11^th driver to win three or more Cup Championships and the 14^th driver to win consecutive NASCAR Cup Series Championships.

It was the first season since 2013 the NASCAR Cup Series Championship was determined in the Chase format, instead of the tournament-style NASCAR Playoff. The Playoff featured three elimination rounds with a championship decided by the highest finishing driver in the “Championship Four.”

In a season that lasts 36 races, the playoff format was considered too random instead of rewarding a driver with a season-long resume. NASCAR wasn’t going to go back to the old format that concluded in 2003 but decided to compromise with a return to the Chase.

No matter the format, Rick Hendrick and his NASCAR team knows how to win NASCAR Cup Series championships. The team proved it once again with “Sweet 16” in 2026.