How Hendrick Motorsports' leadership keeps NASCAR's winningest team focused forward

In the midst of a relative slump for driver Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team, crew chief Cliff Daniels decided that reading was going to be the team's summer bonding activity of choice.

One of the books the team read was "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. 

NASCAR racing isn't war in the strictest sense, but it may as well be for those who participate in it. For 38 weeks out of the year, 36 teams are working toward the ultimate goal of winning a championship — something Larson, Daniels and the No. 5 team have the opportunity to do at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. 

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

"That’s a great leader when they can motivate the people," team owner Rick Hendrick said of Daniels in a news conference on Tuesday. "I know he had them reading different books. It’s that extra effort, that extra special umph that you put into the team, preparing them for something that is that important." 

The leadership skills exhibited by Daniels and everyone at HMS propelled two Hendrick entries into the Championship 4. 

At Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 26, Larson was faced with the difficult task of beating Christopher Bell in a points battle to earn a Championship 4 berth. That was because fellow HMS driver William Byron, who entered the race in a must-win situation, scored the most clutch win of his NASCAR career thus far to clinch his spot in the title race. 

"I mean, for us to go up there and William has to win or Chase has to win and then for Kyle to have to beat the 20 car, you can’t show up with just the normal enthusiasm," Hendrick said. "You got to have tremendous preparation."

On Sunday, Byron will make his third appearance in the Championship 4. Larson will make his third as well, trying to replicate his 2021 title-clinching win at Phoenix. 

"One may know how to conquer without being able to do it." - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Hendrick Motorsports has won 14 Cup Series championships before. But winning a 15th will be no easy task, even for a team with a championship pedigree.

That's because Byron and Larson will have to beat the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin if the hallowed halls of HMS are to welcome a 15th championship trophy. 

"I think Jeff will tell you, they (Byron and Larson) know what to do," Hendrick said. "The best thing I can do now... I can stand back. I’ve talked to all of them and said, 'listen, I’m proud of you, we got two cars out of the four, and let’s go get it done.' You don’t want to put any more pressure on them than they already have." 

There's inherent pressure for those who have the opportunity to pilot a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. But Byron and Larson have overcome that pressure to get back to the championship stage, and now they have an opportunity to stand atop it. 

Their best advice in regard to Sunday's race may come from the man who penned one of the books that Larson's team read this summer.

“If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost." - Sun Tzu. 

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media unless otherwise noted.