Kyle Larson will officially be able to compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series title.
NASCAR said Tuesday that it had granted Larson a waiver to make the playoffs after he missed the Coca-Cola 600. Larson was attempting to run the Indianapolis 500 and 600 on the same day on May 26, but rain delayed the start of the race. Indianapolis 500 for four hours. Larson flew to Charlotte for the 600 just after the 500 finished, but didn’t get in the car because rain stopped the race after 249 of the scheduled 400 laps.
NASCAR rules state that drivers must start all races to be eligible for the playoffs. However, the sanctioning body has been very generous with playoff waivers. It appeared the likelihood of a waiver influenced Larson’s decision to stay in the 500, but NASCAR waited more than a week to grant it.
NASCAR even listed Larson with no playoff points on its official points report after Sunday’s race at Gateway. Larson finished 10th and is second in the points standings behind Denny Hamlin. However, he was listed with no playoff points and, at least temporarily, ineligible for the title. Larson had accumulated 17 playoff points in the first 13 races of the season before missing 600.
The Generosity of NASCAR’s Waiver
NASCAR has rarely denied playoff exemption requests over the past decade. He regularly grants injury waivers and even twice granted playoff waivers to Cup Series drivers who had been suspended by the sanctioning body.
In 2015, Kyle Busch earned an exemption to compete for the playoffs after suffering multiple leg injuries in the Xfinity Series season-opening race at Daytona. When he returned to Cup during the summer, he won several races to earn a playoff berth and won his first Cup title. A season ago, Alex Bowman received a waiver to be eligible for the playoffs (he missed the postseason) when He suffered a broken back in a car accident.
The same season Kyle Busch earned his waiver, Kurt Busch also earned a playoff waiver following a suspension. NASCAR had suspended Kurt Busch at the start of the season following allegations of domestic abuse. After those allegations did not result in criminal charges, Busch was reinstated and allowed to compete for the championship.
In 2023, NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott for one race after he hooked Denny Hamlin face-first into the wall during the 600. Elliott’s suspension also came with a playoff exemption. It was the second time Elliott received a playoff exemption that season after missing the early season races due to a leg injury while he was snowboarding.