Hendrick official issues fighting words after Kyle Larson's regular season championship dreams crumble

Kyle Larson finished a dismal 39th/last at the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen after a brake line leak left him 16 laps behind the field. Despite this, the No. 5 driver's crew chief Cliff Daniels shared a strong message to keep the crew's mojo up.

The 2021 Cup Series champion qualified a subpar 26th for the race. However, he intended to move up the road on Sunday. But, a spin on lap six after his braking power of the Chevy was reduced, it ruled him out of the contention for the top spots.

Larson joined the race on lap 22, 16 laps behind the field. While he gained a free pass a few laps later, this still meant that he was 15 laps behind the leaders and within no shot of even moving up a single place.

This resulted in Kyle Larson finishing 39th and scoring a mere two points, aided by securing the fastest lap of the race. Reflecting on how the challenge was an unanticipated one, he asserted that the crew will continue to build on their previous momentum that has helped them throughout the year, as he said (via NASCAR):

"When we came in and realized how much brake fluid was coming out of the lines in that area, we just took our next steps to get it replaced, get it fixed, get the brakes bled and get the car back out there."

"There’s not a whole lot to be said about right now, other than we’re just not getting the results. We’re going to keep building on the momentum that we have as a group: our operation, our chemistry and all the things that we’ve been kind of fostering and growing this year. Never bet against yourself, and just being realistic about where we are, the fact that we have shown up with speed the last handful of weeks, I’m really hopeful that people count us out."

After the Watkins Glen race, only two rounds are left before NASCAR's regular season concludes.

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Kyle Larson's grim chances of winning the 2025 NASCAR Regular Series championship

After conceding a heap of points at Watkins Glen International, Kyle Larson sits a massive 85 points behind championship leader William Byron. Moreover, he lost two spots in the table as Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell moved up in the standings.

With him already having a mountain of a lead to climb, Larson risks being knocked out of contention at the next race weekend.

However, a miracle could seemingly save Larson's latter half of the regular season. If he secures two race victories in the next two rounds, along with some stage victories, the 33-year-old could bring himself back in the discussion.

But, for this, Kyle Larson would also have to hope that his rivals score close-to-nil points, which makes his bid for the title almost out of sight.