Kyle Larson’s Candid Exposé: Hendrick’s “Wrong Path” Struggles and Cheating Jokes That Nearly Derailed a Dynasty

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a raw, unfiltered SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview that’s sent shockwaves through the garage just days after his second Cup Series championship triumph, Kyle Larson pulled back the curtain on Hendrick Motorsports’ turbulent 2025 season – a rollercoaster of mid-season slumps, strategic misfires, and resurfaced “cheating” quips that nearly torpedoed the team’s legacy. “We got a little bit down the wrong path on our race cars, and we didn’t quite realize it for a while,” Larson admitted, his voice laced with the hindsight of a hard-fought Phoenix finale victory on November 2. The 33-year-old phenom, who clawed from P18 to glory amid overtime chaos to deny Denny Hamlin a sixth title shot, didn’t sugarcoat the No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet’s woes: a baffling slow patch post-Indy Double attempt that left the four-car juggernaut scrambling, pit crew overhauls, and inspections that fueled whispers of impropriety. As Hendrick celebrates its 14th owner’s crown, Larson’s bombshell revelations – blending self-deprecating humor with stark admissions – expose the razor-thin margins between dominance and disaster in NASCAR’s cutthroat arena.

The cracks surfaced early. Larson’s aborted 2025 Indianapolis 500 bid – a sequel to his 2024 McLaren-Hendrick “Double” debacle where a qualifying crash derailed the dream – siphoned focus from Cup development, plunging the No. 5 into a “slow state” that lingered through the summer swing. “It was almost as if the team was going down the wrong way,” Larson reflected, pinpointing aero tweaks for high-downforce ovals like Michigan and Pocono that backfired on intermediates, costing top-10s at Kansas and Bristol. Hendrick’s vaunted engineering brain trust – bolstered by a $31 billion tech partnership – iterated furiously, but the lag echoed the 2023 hood louver scandal that fined the team $550,000 and banned crew chiefs indefinitely. By Talladega in October, fuel strategy gone awry left Larson sputtering on the apron, handing Bubba Wallace the win and exposing a Round of 8 vulnerability where three HMS cars (Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott) teetered on elimination’s edge. “We lived in that slow state for a while,” Larson confessed, crediting a mid-playoff reset – revised floor designs and simulator overhauls – for the Phoenix surge that clinched his second ring.

But Larson’s “truth” cut deeper, dredging up a 2021 Atlanta gaffe that’s haunted Hendrick like a loose lug nut. During an NBC “Splash & Go!” segment, the then-rookie sensation quipped that HMS “starts bad to show they’re following rules, then starts cheating and finding some speed” months in. The offhand joke – born of Ganassi days watching Hendrick’s mid-season magic – ignited fury, drawing NASCAR scrutiny and sponsor side-eyes amid the org’s real 2023 penalty. Larson, suspended earlier that year for a racial slur, apologized profusely: “It was dumb – I know better now.” Yet in his SiriusXM sit-down, he revisited it with wry reflection: “That comment? It stuck because there’s a kernel of truth in how teams evolve setups legally. But at Hendrick, it’s innovation, not shortcuts – billions in wind tunnels prove it.” The remark, resurfaced amid 2025’s Indy Xfinity inspection (Larson’s No. 17 pulled for sensor checks, cleared but flagged for “routine” review), amplified whispers: was the “wrong path” a veiled nod to gray-area testing?

Hendrick’s response? Vintage Rick: unflinching loyalty laced with accountability. The 77-year-old patriarch, who’d rehired Larson post-2020 exile on probation (“He earned every lap”), greenlit a April pit crew shakeup – swapping four members (Jafar Hall, Mike Moss, Allen Stallings, Eric Ludwig) after a 2024 Texas wheel detachment penalty – to inject “extra performance.” “We push boundaries legally,” Hendrick told NBC post-Phoenix. “Kyle’s fire? It’s why we win – but we own the missteps.” The overhaul paid dividends: Larson’s Kansas May triumph and Bristol dirt demolition propelled a playoff sweep, but Talladega’s fuel famine (pushing from Byron’s No. 24) underscored the brinkmanship.

Larson’s candor extends to his Hendrick “family.” “Rick threw me a rope when no one would,” he said, nodding to the 2021 signing that birthed 32 Cup wins and two titles. Yet he didn’t shy from the grind: failed Indy bids (discussions for 2026 with Penske nixed by Rick Hendrick’s win-or-bust mandate), crew reshuffles, and the emotional toll of Hamlin’s near-miss. “Denny’s the heartbeat – if not me, him,” Larson echoed, his gala visit to the runner-up a classy coda. Fans on X erupted: #LarsonTruth trended with 1.1M impressions, polls splitting 52% “refreshing honesty” vs. 48% “admitting too much?”

As the offseason ignites Silly Season, Larson’s exposé isn’t indictment – it’s ignition. Hendrick’s “wrong path” became a highway to history, but the cheating specter lingers like exhaust. With 2026 eyeing multi-race finales and Larson’s Brickyard double-duty (Cup and Xfinity at Indy), the No. 5’s saga underscores NASCAR’s truth: innovation flirts with infamy, but redemption revs eternal. Larson didn’t just expose flaws – he accelerated past them. The King of the Dirt Oval? Now, Hendrick’s unyielding engine.