Why NASCAR approved Kyle Larson’s playoff waiver after driver missed Charlotte for Indy
Kyle Larson’s waiver request has been granted.
The NASCAR star is eligible to compete for the 2024 Cup Series championship after missing last week’s Coca-Cola 600 to race in the Indianapolis 500 on the same day and attempt the vaunted “double.” Hendrick Motorsports submitted a waiver request early last week, and NASCAR finally announced its decision Tuesday morning.
“Without a doubt, uncharted waters,” Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, told reporters Tuesday on a video call. “In the past, those waivers have been given mostly for medical reasons or situations where drivers were suspended from our event, and then those waivers were granted fairly quickly.
“This one was unprecedented in the fact that we had a driver miss one of our races — one of our Cup races, a championship event — to be at another event. So that’s why it took as long as it did.”
NASCAR requires drivers to start all 26 regular-season races to maintain eligibility for the playoffs.
The Indy 500 was expected to begin in the early afternoon on May 26, allowing Larson to run the race and travel to Concord in time for the start of the Coke 600. But weather pushed the green flag in Indianapolis nearly four hours, and Larson chose to stay and compete.
Hendrick made ‘best effort’ to get Larson to Charlotte
Justin Allgaier started Larson’s car in the Coke 600, the longest race on the Cup Series schedule. The Hendrick Motorsports substitute and Xfinity Series standout worked from the rear to a 13th-place finish in the rain-shortened event.
Larson’s helicopter reached Charlotte Motor Speedway as lightning struck and rain began to fall. The race couldn’t be resumed.
“Ultimately, he got to Charlotte, was ready to go, would have raced 151 laps,” Sawyer said. “We felt like they gave the best effort to do what we needed to do for our fans in Charlotte.”
‘Different views from different people’
Sawyer emphasized how important the Indy 500 is for motorsports and made it clear that NASCAR embraces drivers attempting the “double.”
He acknowledged that Larson made every effort to get to Charlotte, and that all options including penalties were on the table.
But the current rules state that NASCAR can either grant a waiver or not. It was a lengthy process, but NASCAR came to a decision to approve it.
“As far as it being close, I don’t know,” Sawyer said about the decision. “There were different views from different people — which, again, I commend the process. I’m proud of our team.
“Everyone had a view on it. The ultimate decision that we wanted to get to was the right decision. And I feel like we got there.”
‘We appreciate NASCAR communicating with us throughout’
Larson posted a GIF of himself giving a thumbs-up on X when the news was announced.
Rick Hendrick shared a statement on Tuesday morning.
“Under normal circumstances, completing ‘the double’ is one of the toughest tests in sports. Despite our best efforts, this year’s combination of weather conditions in Indianapolis and Charlotte made it impossible,” Rick Hendrick said in a statement. “Although losing ground in the standings was hard to swallow, we were especially disappointed for the fans at the Coca-Cola 600 who were not able to see Kyle (Larson) race.
“I’m extremely proud of everything he did to prepare and the months of planning by our team and our partners at Arrow McLaren to run these two crown jewel events. We hoped race day would play out differently, but the program was still incredibly positive for everyone involved. Kyle’s performance throughout May was a great reflection on the level of talent competing each week in the NASCAR Cup Series. We appreciate NASCAR communicating with us throughout the effort and granting our request for a playoff waiver.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 8:05 AM with the headline "Why NASCAR approved Kyle Larson’s playoff waiver after driver missed Charlotte for Indy."
