As Kyle Larson finished in the top 10 again at Gateway Motorsports Park, one nagging question remained in the NASCAR community: Could the No. 5 driver of Hendrick Motorsports make it to the playoffs? Or was all his hard work in vain after his failure at the Coca-Cola 600? To date, there has been no official statement from NASCAR other than confirming the exemption request. However, many believe the 2021 Cup Series champion is too difficult to win.
Case in point: veteran insider Jeff Gluck revealed in a conversation with Jordan Bianchi that the former championship leader is in a difficult situation. With many NASCAR fans criticizing Kyle Larson for prioritizing the Indy 500, it’s possible that the No. 5 HMS team may not have a driver capable of competing in the playoffs at all.
Is NASCAR looking to make an example out of Kyle Larson?
When rumors surfaced that Rick Hendrick had reached a secret agreement with NASCAR regarding an exemption for Kyle Larson, many drivers and insiders stressed that it would set a complicated precedent.
According to Joey Logano, if Kyle Larson can take time off for the Indy 500, why can’t other drivers take time off to race late model races or take time off to vacation? Logano called the exemption “the grayest rule in our sport” and said, “He decided the Indy 500 is more important than the Coca-Cola 600. … That’s the facts.”
However, he later clarified his earlier comments in a tweet, noting how he had misrepresented his words in supporting Larson. If anyone heard what I said yesterday, I am not picking a side. “I pointed out the difficult decisions facing NASCAR and once again words have been twisted… so here is my opinion… Larson should be granted an exemption because what he has done for motorsports has been incredible,” the social media update read. Given the seemingly broad discretion that NASCAR has to deal with, the company needs to ensure that it does not lose control of the sport’s regulations in the eyes of the fans. Of course, the officials are taking their time to make a decision. Many speculate that NASCAR will eventually give Larson a waiver and just wants to create excitement, but Jeff Gluck believes that is “not really” the case. The veteran insider analyzed: “The reason they haven’t announced what they’re doing yet is because they don’t know.
And not only do they not know, they’re seriously considering not granting a waiver to Kyle Larson.” Gluck said that Larson deserves a waiver in the long run, but not everyone at NASCAR agrees with the idea.
He added, “You may have noticed a lot of cold-hearted thoughts floating around, but there are indeed some in NASCAR’s competition department who are opposed to Kyle Larson being exempt, which would ultimately lead to Larson being exempt.” As far as concerns go, Gluck believes there is a real possibility that the sports world needs to address these concerns.
While discussions are ongoing, Gluck stressed that NASCAR is not just about drama. Instead, there is a realistic possibility that Kyle Larson will miss the playoffs this season, despite finishing the regular season in second place. With Larson’s ability to compete in any category seemingly diminished, it remains to be seen whether the No. 5 HMS team has a chance to make it to the Final Four, let alone the championship.
Those anxiously awaiting NASCAR’s decision on Larson’s exemption may have to wait a little longer.
When will NASCAR finally spill the beans on Larson’s waiver?
As things stand, we’re only halfway through the regular Cup Series season. Whilst Larson’s second position in the standings and 17 playoff points (now zero) could very well see him win the regular season, the waiver debacle could put unnecessary pressure. With over ten races to go before the round of 16 kicks off in Atlanta in September, NASCAR is in no urgency to decide on Larson’s waiver.
After all, if the sport aims to seriously consider whether Larson deserves a waiver or not, testing his patience in the long run could be what the officials have in mind.
Jordan Bianchi shared his two cents on the matter and shared, “There isn’t a drop dead, ‘we have to have this done within a week or two’, like you can run this out for honestly the whole summer if you wanted to and as you said like there’s a genuine possibility that he doesn’t get a waiver, I don’t think people understand the severity of this.”
With Bianchi believing most fans are naive to shrug off the hesitation as ‘NASCAR being NASCAR’, the insider felt the need to warn those optimistic fans with a reality check.
He concluded: “I think he’ll get an exemption eventually, but it’s not guaranteed. It’s not even close, it’s completely uncertain and undecided at this point.” While there’s still no end date in sight for Larson’s exemption, do you think the sport is trying to set an example so that drivers like Joey Logano have no reason to take “time off”?
