Kyle Larson's right hand man makes crew swap clear, believes new team unlocks extra spark they were missing

Kyle Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, has opened up on the pit crew reshuffle that saw key members from Justin Haley’s former squad move to the No. 5 team. The change, quietly made through NASCAR’s official roster portal, has now been publicly acknowledged following speculation across the garage.

According to Daniels, the original crew was capable, but the current group provides an “edge” that can unlock better performance moving forward. The change came four races after the high-profile mishap at Atlanta, where Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet lost a wheel under caution. While Daniels didn’t directly cite the incident, the move seems aimed to perfect execution as the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season intensifies.

With Hendrick Motorsports already leading the field, pit road efficiency remains crucial, and this swap might provide the marginal gain the team was chasing. NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass shared the comments from Daniels.

"Nothing but good things to say about the other group. They were capable of performing, but there's just that little bit of edge that we want to go get and perform at a higher level that we feel like this group brings to the table," Daniels explained.

Kyle Larson’s crew will now feature Mike Moss (rear changer), Allen Stallings (tire carrier), Eric Ludwig (jackman), and Jafar Hall (front changer) — all of whom previously worked on Justin Haley’s No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports entry. The fueler remains unchanged.

Daniels' quote hints at the strategic sharpness Hendrick Motorsports applies across departments. Larson’s pace has been consistently strong with four top-five finishes in the Cup so far besides his Homestead-Miami win. However, the team remains intent on enhancing all margins, especially as the playoffs loom and road crews come under pressure.

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Kyle Larson to run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day

The timing of the pit crew change also lines up with Kyle Larson’s growing commitments across disciplines. The #5 HMS driver is preparing for the Memorial Day Double Duty, a grueling one-day attempt to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600.

Kyle recently announced, alongside Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, that he will be racing in the Indy 500 for Arrow McLaren in the #17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for the second straight year.

Larson remains excited and has serious ambitions to win both events in his second attempt. He will fly out after the Indy 500 race from Indianapolis to then compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson had failed in his first attempt to do the Double in 2024, finishing 18th in the Indy 500 race, and was not able to participate in the Coca-Cola 600 due tp a weather issue.