“I felt I was letting these guys down”: Kyle Larson reveals Cliff Daniels’ role in dealing with Coke 600 heartbreak

Kyle Larson was left disappointed after his Double attempt was affected because of the rain in Charlotte. After finishing in 18th place in the Indy 500, Larson failed to even get in his #5 car for the Coke 600 was cut short owing to poor weather conditions.

This led to Larson posting a long note expressing his frustration and sadness. And it was on those lines that the Hendrick Motorsports driver was recently asked by a journalist whether he had any conversations with Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, or Cliff Daniels to help him feel motivated or better.

Larson revealed that he had a conversation with his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, as he mentioned the part that had him feeling sad.

"Cliff gave me a good, a nice phone call and all that. I wasn't as sad about the way the IndyCar race turned out, I was just sad that I didn't get a chance to get in the car and get going. I felt like I was, in my part and in my mind, I was letting these guys down. Because I didn't get to talk to them at the race so I thought if I was in their shoes, I didn't know what they were thinking. I didn't want them to think that I chose something else over them," Larson said [at 6:06]

The #5 driver claimed that after talking to his crew chief, he was "in great spirits" and felt proud for representing his team at the Indy 500.

Kyle Larson is thankful for having Cliff Daniels help him reach his maximum potential

Kyle Larson said that having someone like Cliff Daniels lead him has been nothing short of a blessing. In a 2022 interview with "The Athletic", Larson expressed his gratitude for the support and accountability Daniels brought.

"He’s somebody for me that I didn’t think that I would ever do good with because in the past, I haven’t felt like I would like the intensity that he brings. But now I’m super thankful that I have him leading me because I think the way he is in the way he pushes me to continue to get better and get closer to perfect is always good for me and all that accountability is great for me," Larson said.

Cliff Daniels putting his driver in good spirits after the Double attempt isn't the first time the crew chief has helped Kyle Larson feel better. Daniels, who Larson claimed is "like a football coach" once delivered one of his pep talks over the radio amid a disappointing race for the #5 team.

It was at Charlotte in May 2022, when Larson wasn't having a good time on the track. Throughout the race, he went through many blunders such as hitting a wall, being penalized on the pit road, and facing mechanical failures.

This led to Daniels to deliver a short pep talk over the radio to get his team out of feeling sorry for themselves and focusing on executing in pursuit of a good result.