Elton Sawyer details why Kyle Larson didn't receive points penalty for missing Coke 600 at Charlotte

NASCAR didn’t hand down a points penalty to Kyle Larson after he missed the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month.

Speaking with the media Tuesday just moments after the sanctioning body granted Larson a waiver to remain eligible for the 2024 Cup Series playoffs, senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said that missing a race was a points penalty in itself and didn’t warrant additional punishment.

“We don’t feel like any additional penalty, or any type of asterisk would have been right,” Sawyer said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic.

Larson lost his lead in the points standings after missing the Coca-Cola 600, as well as a potential eight playoff points. He now sits second after tallying a P10 finish in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Larson missed the race after his attempt to become just the fifth driver to complete the Indy-Charlotte Double quickly turned south. Rain delayed the start of the 108th Running of the Indy 500 by four hours, forcing Larson to prioritize racing in Indianapolis or the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson chose the 500 and didn’t get a chance to run in the 600 due to NASCAR calling the race with 151 laps remaining due to rain after he arrived from Indianapolis.

Elton Sawyer explains why NASCAR granted Kyle Larson waiver for playoffs

The effort made to race at Charlotte was enough for NASCAR to approve his waiver, Sawyer said.

“Kyle made every attempt to get to Charlotte,” Sawyer said. “He was standing in the pit box with his helmet on, ready to go.”

Sawyer added that it wouldn’t be in NASCAR’s best interest to deny fans the chance to see Larson compete for a second Cup Series championship, an opportunity he’s earned after winning two races earlier this season.

“To not have Kyle Larson in our playoff and give our fans the opportunity the chance to see him race for a championship… at the end of the day, that didn’t feel like that was the right decision for us to make. We didn’t,” Sawyer said.