Larson gets waiver to run for championship
Kyle Larson is now officially in the running for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
NASCAR announced on Tuesday that Larson has been granted a waiver to participate in the playoffs despite missing the Coca-Cola 600. Larson had attempted to race both the Indianapolis 500 and the 600 on May 26, but a four-hour rain delay at the Indy 500 prevented him from making it to the 600 on time. Although Larson flew to Charlotte immediately after the Indianapolis 500, he did not compete as the 600 was stopped after 249 of the 400 scheduled laps due to rain. Justin Allgaier, who substituted for Larson, finished the race in 13th place.
According to NASCAR rules, drivers are required to start every race to qualify for the playoffs. However, the organization has been lenient with playoff waivers. It appeared likely that Larson’s decision to remain at the Indy 500—which obviously was made with help from Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, and Jeff Andrews—was influenced by the expectation of a waiver. It was also very likely influenced by the sheer amount of money that went into their entry into Indy (twice the amount of regular entries) and the commitment they made to Arrow McLaren, who partnered with Hendrick to build the car.
Following Sunday’s race at Gateway, NASCAR’s official points report did not include Larson with any playoff points, temporarily showing him as ineligible for the title. Larson, who finished 10th in that race and is second in the overall standings behind Denny Hamlin, had earned 17 playoff points in the first 13 races before missing the 600.
History of Granting Waivers
NASCAR has a history of rarely denying playoff waivers over the past decade, frequently granting them for injuries and even suspensions. For example, in 2015, Kyle Busch received a waiver to compete in the playoffs after suffering severe leg injuries at the Xfinity Series opener in Daytona. Upon his return to the Cup Series, he won several races and secured a playoff spot, eventually winning his first Cup Series title. Similarly, in 2023, Chase Elliott received a waiver after a leg injury from snowboarding. And later that same year, Alex Bowman was granted a waiver last season after missing races due to a back injury from a sprint car crash.
The Delay:
Typically, NASCAR’s waiver decisions are made within a few days, making the delay in Larson’s case unusual. Making it even more curious is that some discussion should have taken place ahead of time given that Larson isn’t the first driver to have his double attempt disrupted by weather, and the advance notice of impending rain made it obvious that problems would occur.
NASCAR vice president of competition Elton Sawyer explained in a news conference that Larson’s situation was unprecedented, contributing to the timeline. He noted that Larson had shown a willingness to get in the car if the race resumed after the rain delay. And, ultimately, it was NASCAR that called a halt to the race without explanation as to why the remainder could not be run the following day (conveniently a holiday for Memorial Day), as other rain-affected races have been handled in the past.
While Sawyer’s explanation is plausible, the decision to grant the waiver should have been discussed and decided upon ahead of time, given that rain was a known issue. And given that NASCAR enjoyed the popularity of one of their drivers doing the double and used it for promotion of the 600, denying Larson a waiver would have led to significant backlash.
