Sometimes, the sweetest revenge comes in chocolate form.
In July, then-championship front-runner Denny Hamlin offered advice to Hendrick Motorsports and its frustrated supporters during an uncharacteristically difficult NASCAR Cup Series regular season: Have a Snickers.
A little more than three months later, Hendrick took that suggestion quite literally, right next to the 2026 Bill France Cup.
On Monday, a day after Kyle Larson clinched his third Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the team shared a photo of its championship celebration in Victory Lane featuring team execs Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon alongside Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels, each chomping down on a Snickers bar next to its newest trophy.
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Feeling like ourselves again. https://t.co/kArMU2Np2A
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) November 9, 2026
The accompanying caption was short, sweet and unmistakably pointed: “Feeling like ourselves again.”
The reference traced back to a late-July episode of Hamlin’s “Actions Detrimental“ podcast, when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver discussed Hendrick’s struggles following a particularly rough Brickyard 400. The organization’s four drivers had gone three consecutive races without a top-10 finish, and Hamlin noticed growing frustration among Hendrick supporters on social media.
“They need to have a Snickers,” Hamlin said. “They’ve not been [themselves] in a while. It’s not really indicative of their speed. They’ve always got a couple cars that are in the top five or near the top five. But just the standard we expect from Hendrick Motorsports, from the legacy, we expect lots of race wins. When I see William Byron in 12th, that’s mind-boggling to me.”
The comment played off the candy bar’s familiar advertising campaign, but Hamlin’s underlying point was serious: NASCAR’s winningest organization wasn’t producing the results its reputation demanded.
That changed rather dramatically shortly after.
Larson snapped a 51-race winless drought at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in September, then added Chase victories at Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway before mathematically clinching the championship during Stage 1 of Sunday’s Homestead finale — at Hamlin’s expense.
The title was Larson’s third, his second consecutive and Hendrick Motorsports’ record 16th. Hamlin, meanwhile, led 87 laps at Homestead but finished sixth, his own championship hopes having ended in the opening stage.
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Three months after Hamlin’s suggestion, Hendrick had rediscovered its championship form — and apparently hadn’t forgotten Hamlin’s advice.
And, as it turns out, winning another title can be pretty satisfying, too.