Kyle Larson’s team plans to start Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway with fresh brakes. Crew chief Cliff Daniels said the new NASCAR brake rule is a smart move.
NASCAR announced Wednesday that Cup teams can replace front brake pads and rotors after practice and qualifying at Phoenix. Under impound rules, teams normally have limited options to work on cars before the race.
Brad Moran, who oversees the Cup Series for NASCAR, discussed the change on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s The Morning Drive. He said NASCAR set no limit on the brake work teams can do.
Daniels, crew chief of Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet at Hendrick Motorsports, also spoke about the rule on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. SiriusXM NASCAR shared the clip on X.
“I think it’s smart. I think it’s manageable, and for us, it’s just the opportunity to put fresh stuff on there. Our, call it fast short-track brake package, has been pretty consistent for a while for us.”
Daniels said the No. 5 team will still take advantage of the rule.
“But we certainly are going to take the opportunity to put fresh stuff on there, just to know that you’re starting the race with max potential for durability for the brake setup, that’s been a question mark for everybody, so we very much appreciate having the extra practice time and now definitely appreciate having this opportunity to just get fresh brakes on there to start the race.”
Brakes became a major talking point after the Sept. 13 race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Three Chase drivers lost their brakes that day.
Ryan Blaney lost his brakes on Lap 155. Chase Elliott had a brake failure on Lap 214 and spun into Chase Briscoe, sending both cars into the wall. Chris Buescher had a brake failure on Lap 238.
Larson avoided the trouble and won at Gateway. MotorBiscuit also covered Elliott’s late brake failure.
NASCAR.com described Gateway as a flat, heavy-braking oval similar to Phoenix. Cup cars also carry more power at short tracks in 2026. Every track under 1.5 miles now runs a 750-horsepower setup instead of the old 670 baseline.
The higher-horsepower setup made its traditional oval debut at Phoenix in March, a race Blaney won.
Daniels said the weekend format has also played a role in brake wear.
“So when you see through the lens of years ago, before we had the impound-style formats of race weekends at short tracks, and especially a track like Phoenix, teams would always change their brakes after practice, going into a race. That was very common.”
He said the added practice time puts more miles on the parts before the race starts.
“Since COVID, everyone has become accustomed to the impound-style formats. Well, when you take an impound-style format, and you add a little bit more practice time, it is that much more wear and tear on your personal equipment, so I appreciate the move from NASCAR.”
Larson leads Denny Hamlin by 49 points with four races left in the Cup Series, NASCAR’s top motorsports series. Sunday’s race at Phoenix is the first of those four.