Kyle Larson has legendary reaction to being granted NASCAR playoff waiver
Kyle Larson took to X shortly after NASCAR announced Tuesday it had granted him a waiver to remain eligible for the 2024 Cup Series playoffs.
Larson made his thoughts known, though he didn’t offer any words. Instead, Larson posted a GIF of himself giving a thumbs up.
Larson had been in search of a waiver to remain playoff eligible 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.
The effort made to race at Charlotte was enough for NASCAR to approve his waiver, senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer said.
“Kyle made every attempt to get to Charlotte,” Sawyer said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “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.
Rick Hendrick issues statement after Kyle Larson has NASCAR playoff waiver approved
Larson lost his lead in the points standings after missing the Coca-Cola 600, but now sits second after tallying a P10 finish in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway.
Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement, “We appreciate NASCAR communicating with us throughout the effort and granting our request for a playoff waiver.”
“Under normal circumstances, completing ‘the double’ is one of the toughest tests in sports,” Hendrick said. Despite our best efforts, this year’s combination of weather conditions in Indianapolis and Charlotte made it impossible. Although losing ground in the standings was hard to swallow, we were especially disappointed for the fans at the Coca-Cola 600 who were not able to see Kyle (Larson) race.
“I’m extremely proud of everything he did to prepare and the months of planning by our team and our partners at Arrow McLaren to run these two crown jewel events. We hoped race day would play out differently, but the program was still incredibly positive for everyone involved. Kyle’s performance throughout May was a great reflection on the level of talent competing each week in the NASCAR Cup Series.”