September 16, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

NASCAR champ Kyle Larson earns a three-year extension with Hendrick Motorsports

BRISTOL, Tenn.--With a winning combination such as Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports, it’s no surprise that the NASCAR juggernaut announced a three-year extension for the current Cup champion and HendrickCars.com.

The 30-year-old racer will pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet with continued support from primary sponsor HendrickCars.com for 35 Cup races a year as well as his non-NASCAR racing through the 2026 motorsports season.

While Larson showed tremendous promise during his first seven seasons in Cup, he has evolved into a weekly contender since joining forces with HMS and crew chief Cliff Daniels.

“When Kyle joined our team, the expectations were sky high from both inside and outside the organization. To say he’s exceeded them would be an understatement,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group. “Not only has Kyle proven himself as a champion driver, he’s performed at a championship level outside of the race car.

“We’re proud to continue our relationship and to see him represent our team and our brands in such positive ways. The years to come are very bright.”

Larson had six wins and a career-best finish of sixth in the standings in 2019—his fourth appearance in the Playoffs prior to joining HMS. With the resources of Hendrick Motorsports, Larson scored 10 wins en route to his first championship. He posted a remarkable average finish of 9.1.

While his sophomore season has presented new challenges, following the introduction of the Next Gen car, Larson has scored two wins and matched a season-best three poles in 2022.

The ability to compete with NASCAR’s top organization is invaluable to the uber-talented driver.

“I can’t explain how much this opportunity means,” Larson said. “The chance to compete for the top team and best sponsors in racing is something every driver dreams about. I’m humbled to have incredible people in my corner and amazing support from so many fans.

“Thanks to everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Automotive Group for believing in me, Cliff and our team. Even though we’ve done some great things so far, I truly believe our best is ahead of us.”

Larson is currently eighth in the standings entering Bristol Motor Speedway, where he is the defending winner of the race. Having a relationship with HendrickCars.com will bolster Larson’s ability to compete in a variety of racing disciplines from coast to coast. In addition to winning the 2021 Cup title, Larson collected 30 wins in 89 races including crown jewels such as the Chili Bowl Nationals in January followed by the Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, Prairie Dirt Classic and the NASCAR All-Star Race.

His success translated into success for HendrickCars.com.  According to the HMS release the company experienced “a year-over-year increase in organic traffic for HendrickCars.com and double-digit increases in conversions, vehicle leads, online customer interactions, trade evaluations, and employment applications, Hendrick Automotive Group has measured a three-to-one return on its marketing investment in NASCAR.” Larson has also served as a frontman for the commercial website for its corporate social responsibility initiatives including STEM programs in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“Our partnership with Hendrick Motorsports continues to deliver impactful results for our company,” said Gary Davis, executive vice president and COO of Hendrick Automotive Group. “It’s a key part of our efforts to establish HendrickCars.com as a national brand while delivering business opportunities for our dealership locations throughout the country.

“We’ve been able to recruit talented people to the organization, support our teammates with unique incentive and engagement programs, amplify our community support programs and expose the NASCAR fan to our dealership locations nationwide. We followed the data, and the decision to extend our relationship with Hendrick Motorsports was easy to make.”