Should NASCAR Give Kyle Larson A Playoff Waiver? Here’s Why And Why Not
NASCAR has yet to announce whether Kyle Larson will receive an exemption to continue competing in the playoffs in 2024.
Surprisingly, today is the Friday of a new race weekend, but there has still been no announcement regarding Kyle Larson’s exemption to continue competing in the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
It has been five days since Larson made the decision to stay in Indianapolis to compete in his first Indy 500, rather than returning to Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in the Coca-Cola 600.
For those who don’t know, a driver must compete in all 36 points-earning races of the season and all 26 points-earning races of the “regular season” to participate in the playoffs. If he misses a race, he must get permission (exemption) from NASCAR to continue competing in the championship. So while we continue to wait for “Decision: 2024” to be announced, let’s lay out the arguments for and against Larson’s waiver.
Why Kyle Larson SHOULD Receive A Waiver
Kyle Larson should receive a waiver from NASCAR for a variety of reasons, some based on precedent and others based on the unique nature of this situation.
Looking at past precedent, when has NASCAR not granted a waiver?Kyle Busch became the first driver to receive a waiver from NASCAR after breaking his leg in a NASCAR Xfinity Series crash at Daytona in 2015. That season, he won the championship after missing 11 races.
Kurt Busch also received a waiver that same year for completely different circumstances. Busch was suspended for the first three races of the 2015 season for alleged domestic violence against his then-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. Busch was reinstated after the Delaware District Attorney declined to prosecute Busch.
Busch eventually made the playoffs, finishing that season in eighth place. Busch also received a concussion waiver for 2022, but withdrew it when it became clear to him and his medical team that he would not be fit in time for the start of the playoffs that year. Most recently, Chase Elliott received two waivers for 2023. Elliott broke his leg while snowboarding during a break in early 2023.
Elliott missed six races and struggled to make the playoffs, but missed another race due to suspension. Elliott was suspended for one race for intentionally crashing Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600. Elliott was granted an exemption after his suspension, but he didn’t qualify for the playoffs because he had too few wins.
What we’re trying to say here is that NASCAR grants a lot of exemptions. Some were understandable, like injuries at NASCAR events, while others were a little more surprising, like injuries during time off and suspensions from NASCAR. Yes, Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports made a conscious decision to skip one NASCAR event and participate in another. But what Kyle Larson did in Indianapolis in May elevated not only the Indianapolis 500, but North American motorsports as a whole, to a new level. Larson’s two-time performance on Memorial Day shined a positive light on the talent in the NASCAR field and brought a lot of attention to both series.
Not only were people paying attention to the 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Sunday, but many were tuning in to see Larson make his way from Indy to North Wilkesboro Speedway in time for the All-Star Race. That was an interesting “double” in itself. That being said, the fact that Kyle Larson was not granted immunity in this case may deter others from attempting a rarely seen Memorial Day double. And considering how much positive attention Larson’s attempt garnered, no one wants this double to go away.
Why Kyle Larson SHOULD NOT Receive A Waiver
When NASCAR implemented the “win-or-die” playoff system before the 2014 season, NASCAR also implemented a rule that drivers must compete in every race to qualify for the playoffs. This rule was implemented to prevent drivers from deciding to take time off or skip races mid-season after winning races earlier in the season.
NASCAR began implementing exemptions for drivers who were “forced” to miss a race.
Kyle Larson was not “forced” to miss the Coca-Cola 600. Kyle Larson, Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon jointly made the decision for Larson to skip the start of the 600 so that he could compete in the Indianapolis 500. Let’s think about that for a second. A fan-favorite, championship-winning driver intentionally missing a NASCAR event to compete in an event in another series. That doesn’t seem to be consistent with the letter of the rules.
Now, it could be argued (and many are trying to make that) that Larson was forced to miss the Coca-Cola 600 because of rain delays in Indianapolis. Larson had intended to get to Charlotte in time for the start of the race after completing the 500 miles in Indiana. But when the storm hit at 11 a.m., Larson and company still had time to make the decision to leave Indianapolis and head to Charlotte. He could have arrived there well before the start of the race, started from his scheduled 10th place on the grid, and ultimately contended for the win in the rain-shortened race. But he didn’t. Instead, he stayed in Indianapolis, led a few laps and finished 18th late Sunday night.
The hard part is putting yourself in NASCAR’s shoes in this situation. If you’re NASCAR, are you a little upset that one of the most popular drivers in the world has said that another race is more important than your own? And where do you draw the line? If it’s the Indianapolis 500, does that mean it’s okay for someone to miss a race and go to another race? Or is it okay if someone decides to miss the Iowa Speedway race because they’re doing the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Or is it okay to miss a race as long as you attend some race, not go on vacation to Greece because you don’t want to race at Sonoma? Do you understand what we’re trying to say? Granting an exemption in this situation would be a very difficult proposition because it goes against the very reason the rule exists.
The rule is in place to ensure that every full-time driver, star or villain the NASCAR Cup Series offers is in contention every time you or your family spends your hard-earned money and time on a Cup Series of NASCAR event. If you are sick, injured or have a suspension imposed by NASCAR, that didn’t happen last Sunday night.
So what should NASCAR do? You can’t decide that. As we said, whatever decision NASCAR makes in this situation will be the right one. But it will be a difficult decision, and it will not be welcomed, whatever the outcome.
