Kyle Larson addresses season plans with NASCAR playoff waiver up in the air

The status of Kyle Larson’s playoff waiver is up in the air, but his focus certainly isn’t ahead of the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Larson is dealing with the fallout from missing the Coca-Cola 600 due to running the Indianapolis 500, and the rain not cooperating at all over last weekend. Usually, NASCAR is swift with their rulings on waiver requests, approving them for injuries and suspensions, but Larson’s case has been the subject of great debate.

While it’d still be shocking if Larson’s request for a playoff waiver is denied, the media has played devil’s advocate over the last week and change. Speaking with reporters on Saturday, Larson addressed if there’d be any changes to his plans for the rest of the season if his waiver request is denied.

Kyle Larson would not talk much about the waiver situation today. He says he is focused on what he is doing this weekend and if he didn't get a waiver, he would still race and try to win the team a championship. pic.twitter.com/KTeeqXVbsC

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 1, 2024

“I would not do anything different. I would try and win a championship,” Larson told FOX’s Bob Pockrass, pertaining to looking to win the NASCAR Owner’s Championship for the No. 5 team, even if his playoff waiver isn’t approved.

Moreover, Larson decided to keep his comments on the situation to a minimum, highlighting a conversation with his team about feeling like he let them down, and them revealing to him how proud they were that he was in Indianapolis. Additionally, Larson told Pockrass he’d be interested in attempting the feat again, as “the weather can’t get much worse.”

Alas, we’ll see if Kyle Larson receives his waiver, and when the decision comes, but anything less than an approval would certainly be disappointing for the No. 5 team and NASCAR fans around the world.

Denny Hamlin pressed on whether Kyle Larson should get a waiver from NASCAR after missing Coca-Cola 600 start

After Mother Nature ruined Kyle Larson’s attempt at pulling the double — racing both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — all the talk has been whether the Hendrick Motorsports wheelman should receive a waiver for the Cup Series playoffs, as he missed the race in Charlotte.

It’s a unique situation, as Larson would’ve been able to participate in the race, but it was called early due to rain, and Christopher Bell was named the winner a little more than halfway through. Denny Hamlin elaborated on whether he’d give Larson a waiver, if it were up to him.

“I got asked that question by a couple people at JGR. … They said, ‘Do you think he should get a waiver?’ And I said quickly, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ They were like, ‘Really? So what if you want to go race Le Mans next year? Should you get a waiver?’ I said, ‘Hm, that’s a good point. I didn’t think about it like that.’ What defines a major event? There are lots of major events,” Hamlin said, regarding Larson choosing the Indianapolis 500 over the Coca-Cola 600. “Now, Kyle wasn’t missing this to go to a high-limit race. You know, he was missing this to do the Indy 500. I don’t know how NASCAR feels about him choosing Indy over the Coke 600, but I think you’d be hard-pressed to convince me that the Coke 600 is a bigger event than the Indy 500. Would anyone make that argument?

“I think yes, he absolutely should (receive the waiver). I think absolutely, he will. I would think that they would have a tough time — I think it would be very hard — they made this decision, without already consulting with NASCAR, on what they would do.”

The competitor and the team-owner in Denny Hamlin would like to see Kyle Larson granted a waiver for the playoffs. It’s easy to see why, and it would certainly be controversial if NASCAR doesn’t grant the No. 5 team one over the next couple of days.