Getty Image
Kyle Larson’s attempt to become the first man since Kurt Busch in 2014 to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double in the same was, objectively, a complete disaster.
And it may be about to get much worse for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
By skipping the Coke 600 altogether following a rain delay in Indianapolis, Larson violated a rule stating that all full-time drivers must run each of the 26 regular season races to be eligible for the playoffs. Because he did not do that, Larson will now require a waiver from NASCAR to be playoff eligible.
And not everyone believes he should get one.
Should Kyle Larson be granted a waiver for missing the Coca-Cola 600? Jeff & Jordan agree to disagree. 😬 pic.twitter.com/ZWcq35q6Mi
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) May 27, 2024
“I don’t think he deserves a waiver,” Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic said on Monday. “I think it opens up a Pandora’s box and it is a bad precedent to set.”
NASCAR granted a playoff waiver to Kyle Busch in 2015 after he broke his leg in an accident and missed 11 races. Busch went on to win the Cup Series championship. It also granted a waiver to Chase Elliott after he missed seven Cup Series races a year ago. Elliott broke his leg while snowboarding and missed six races. He then missed a seventh race after a suspension.
Despite the waiver, Elliott went on to miss the playoffs.
Will Larson get a waiver? Almost certainly.
Rick Hendrick is perhaps the most powerful team owner in the sport and wouldn’t have let Larson miss the race if there was any chance he’d miss the playoffs.
And NASCAR has done everything it can to promote Larson running the Indy 500.
So a waiver feels like more of a formality than anything.
But should he get a waiver? That’s a different story.
Busch and Elliott missed races for reasons that were largely out of their control. Larson just chose to prioritize another racing series entirely.
As Bianchi states, at that point you might as well just eliminate the rule.
Larson currently sits third in the NASCAR points standings and has amassed 17 playoff points, second-most in the series behind Denny Hamlin.