Kyle Larson was granted a waiver to remain eligible for the playoffs despite missing the Coca-Cola 600. Larson was trying to pull a double and run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day but weather foiled those plans. Michael Conroy/Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR on Tuesday granted Kyle Larson the waiver he needs to remain eligible to compete in this year’s playoffs despite missing the Coca-Cola 600 because he instead ran the Indianapolis 500.
The decision came after nearly nine days of internal NASCAR debate over whether Larson should be punished for choosing to stay in Indianapolis, where rain delayed the May 26 race by four hours. That meant Larson had zero chance of making it back to Charlotte in time to start the Coca-Cola 600.
But it was always his intent to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Larson did make it to the track, only for the race to be called for rain before he ever turned a lap in his No. 5 Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier started in Larson’s place and was credited with a 13th-place finish.
“This was without a doubt unchartered waters; in the past, those waivers had been given mostly for medical reasons or for drivers suspended from our event, and those waivers were granted fairly quickly,” said Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition. “This one was unprecedented in that we had a driver miss one of our races, one of our Cup championship events, to be at another event. That’s why it took as long as it did. The time we took, which was a week, was exactly the right time we needed to make the decision.”
Larson appeared to react to the waiver with a meme he posted on social media of him giving the thumbs-up.
Larson, who has two wins this season that make him automatically eligible for the playoffs, had his Cup Series standings altered after Sunday’s race outside St. Louis. Although he was listed as second in the overall standings, all his playoff points had been wiped away.
The playoff points were restored in Tuesday’s standings.
“To not have Kyle Larson in our playoff and give our fans the opportunity, the chance to him race for a championship, at the end of the day, that didn’t feel that was the right decision for us to make,” Sawyer said.
Larson, who finished 18th at Indianapolis in large part because of a late speeding penalty, had worked out a minute-by-minute plan with Hendrick Motorsports to ensure he’d make the start of the Coca-Cola 600. When rain disrupted the Indy 500, Rick Hendrick decided to keep Larson in Indianapolis.
All of Hendrick Motorsports was in constant contact with NASCAR and under the impression there was no issue so long as Larson made it back to compete in the 600.
Sawyer said no one from Hendrick was ever guaranteed a waiver if Larson did not make the NASCAR race.
“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,” Hendrick said. “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 race.”
Larson was the fifth driver in history to attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. Only Tony Stewart in 2001 completed all 1,100 miles.
There is concern now that NASCAR’s tough stance will deter drivers from trying the feat in the future. Larson had a two-year deal with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick to run Indy again in 2025, but it is not clear if NASCAR’s lengthy deliberations will upend those plans.
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