Kyle Larson’s eligibility for the 2024 Cup Series playoffs is presently questionable, as NASCAR considers whether the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver should receive a playoff waiver. Larson failed to start the Coca-Cola 600 in his Memorial Day weekend Double Duty effort.
Larson tried the Double last weekend, but the Indianapolis 500 was delayed by four hours due to a rainstorm. It prompted Hendrick Motorsports to select between the Triple Crown event and the NASCAR Crown Jewel race. HMS’s top executives prioritized the IndyCar race due to the amount of labor and resources invested in the undertaking.
After Kyle Larson secured a P18 finish in the maiden Indy 500 effort, he flew back to Charlotte only to be greeted with more rain as NASCAR called the race official. With the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion missing a regular season event, Hendrick Motorsports had requested a waiver for the #5 Chevy driver.
Jenna Fryer, an AP Sports reporter, confirmed that NASCAR had received a waiver request from HMS. However, there is no timetable for when the decision will be announced.
“Update: #NASCAR confirms it has received a request for a waiver for Larson from Hendrick Motorsports and says no timetable for when decision will be made,” Fryer posted on X, which used to be Twitter.
After the introduction of the playoff system, NASCAR made it mandatory for drivers to participate in every race, preventing them from missing races after qualifying for the postseason. A team can request waivers to keep the driver eligible.NASCAR has previously granted waivers for drivers who were forced to miss races due to injury/illness. Kyle Larson has already qualified for the playoffs with two wins. Larson’s case is unique as he and his team prioritized the Indy 500 over the Coca-Cola 600.
There are many arguments in Larson’s favor as he intended to participate in the Coca-Cola 600 and flew back to complete the rest of the race. He also brought plenty of attention to both NASCAR and IndyCar with his Double attempt.
NASCAR VP elaborates on Kyle Larson’s waiver request
Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior VP of Competition, recently shed light on how they process a waiver request. He stated that a single person doesn’t make the decision to grant waivers.
Sawyer also conceded that NASCAR was in unchartered waters with Kyle Larson’s case. He also added that they hadn’t decided after preliminary discussions.In a recent appearance on SiriusXM Radio, Sawyer said:
“I think you look at it from the standpoint of, obviously they submit the request. He has missed a race, so we start — it’s a little bit of uncharted waters for us, because in the past the waivers have been mostly given for a medical reason, so this one is a little bit different, from that aspect, and just a lot of, we’ve had some preliminary discussions, but we haven’t landed.
The delay in announcing the verdict has certainly increased the anticipation surrounding Larson’s eligibility for the playoffs.
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