Should NASCAR grant Kyle Larson a waiver for his absence from the Coca-Cola 600?

The greatest day in motorsport was a rollercoaster of emotions last weekend. A huge first-lap crash at Monaco, followed by virtually no overtaking, until one of the most iconic moments on the final lap of the Indianapolis 500.

Although the Coca-Cola 600 had some great races, its anti-climactic finish left many angry – among them, Kyle Larsonwho showed up late due to a rain-delayed Indy 500 and never got a chance to get back into the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

While we can’t control the weather (…or can we?), should that prevent Larson from getting a championship waiver like many drivers before him? This week, Trenton Worsham and Vito Pugliese present sharply divergent opinions on 2 headed monster.

No waiver, no cry

Things were looking good for Kyle Larson at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the rains stopped, placing in the top seven – before a botched pit entry put him behind for the rest of the day. Upon arrival at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Justin Allgaier was doing spearhead duty, bringing No. 5 from last to 16th before Concord received the tail end of a storm system that stretched from the Carolinas to Hudson Bay. Despite a track that appeared drivable at midnight, NASCAR abruptly ended the race and ruled Christopher Bell the winner, with Larson waiting in the wings to relieve Allgaier and complete a double of sorts.

Should the effort alone justify a championship waiver? In short, no.

I know this is going to anger not only a lot of NASCAR fans, but motorsports fans in general.

It brings more attention to the sport! It was a great story! What about what Hendrick did for NASCAR at Le Mans!

All points are correct. Let’s demystify them in order.

Since when does “story” translate to “OK to blow up a crown jewel race if it gets wet?” »

Last week we announced the newest group of drivers entering the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Let’s reflect on some of those already here and their heroic exploits:

• Richard Petit – racing with half a stomach following ulcer surgery and a broken neck.
• In case you didn’t read it the first time, RUN WITH A BROKEN NECK.
• The most recent inductee, Ricky Rudd, raced the Daytona 500 with his face patted down so he could see after nearly flying out of the car during the Busch Clash. Won the next race at Richmond.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. – is filmed burning alive in an ALMS race, still starts the first race of the Chase, covered in ointment, bandages and layers of flame-retardant Nomex to bleed out
• Dale Earnhardt Sr. – Broken collarbone? No problem, just sit on the pole at Watkins Glen while driving with one hand.
• Marc Martin – broke his wrist and knee at Daytona 24 hours earlier, cut the cast off mid-race so he could continue driving while third in points. Oh, and I needed a spinal fusion.

None of these guys got a pass. Different times, different situations? Of course.

But snowboarding waivers, not getting a full-time job with the pay you expected, betting all your chips on the Midwest weather at the end of May, or getting caught in a midweek dirt race at BFE?

That’s a leap I’m not ready to make.

This isn’t to pick on Kyle. It was absolutely a beautiful story and it caught the attention of non-racists. Should a marketing exercise grant you a pass to the playoffs?

What other sport would allow this?

A prominent journalist this week used the example of NASCAR pushing Hendrick Motorsports to field the Garage 56 car at Le Mans to justify a waiver.

Firstly, wrong continent, and secondly, no driver has missed a points race to participate in Le Mans. It also apparently didn’t have much effect on HMS as a whole with Larson and William Byron win races, while Chase Elliott And Alex Bowman were on the mend after their extracurricular activities.

According to the rules set out in February, a driver must start all 26 races to be eligible for the championship. This was a known inherent risk in attempting the double. Should the rule be changed in the future for drivers attempting the 500 and 600?

Absolutely! So why hasn’t this been done?

Does NASCAR view this as a deterrent to skipping a marquee event on its schedule to compete in the biggest motorsports event in the world? It would seem so – I mean, it’s not like they weren’t prepared for the rain at every race every weekend.

Will NASCAR grant Larson a waiver? This will almost certainly be the case. I’m not going to lose much sleep over this, but it’s also why the Playoff era Championships don’t carry the same weight as the ones we saw in the 1990s that people still talk about . Will those of the future say the same thing about the generational waves of renunciation that we will see in the years to come? Unlikely, but time will tell. –Vito Pugliese

For everything you do, this waiver is for you

The reign of NASCAR’s most popular driver has been that of Chase Elliott, but the tide could be turning. Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson attempted what very few have attempted, traveling 1,100 miles between the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

Attempt.

Mother Nature seemed to have other plans. Delaying the Indy 500 and completing the 600 in just under 400 miles put a nail in the coffin that had been a month of fanfare and fear in the motorsports world, preventing Larson from being able to compete in both races, even for a trip to Charlotte. The driver of the No. 5 absolutely deserves the waiver for a multitude of reasons, the most obvious being the preciously mentioned early end of the 600, be it NASCAR or FOX. Angry fans and even teams showed on social media how the track could run, but it was too late as the decision had been made.

The waiver SHOULD be granted because he traveled to Charlotte and could take Justin Allgaier’s ride to finish the event. It wasn’t Larson’s fault but whoever decided to end the race. He would have run in this event, but not having done so was defeating.

Larson didn’t just hop on a crown jewel to go race his dirt car on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere or decide to take the day off. He and his Hendrick team planned to compete in TWO races, one being the largest in America, if not the world, and return to run the other. Not running in Charlotte was not something he planned to do, he showed up for just that. It wasn’t a vacation or playing hooky to miss a race because he was in the playoffs because he was locked into a win.

Drivers such as the aforementioned Elliott have been getting waivers left and right for various reasons, like the injury the No. 9 driver suffered a year ago while snowboarding, something unrelated to the race. Matt Kenseth was granted a waiver in 2020 when Larson was suspended, allowing him to make the playoffs had he made it.

Before spending time, money and resources on it, one might also think that Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon would not have been afraid of not obtaining an exemption. Some behind-the-scenes discussions must have taken place, but here we are, wondering if this is going to happen. With all the fanfare and almost every other race detailing Hendrick’s origin story on the show, there is no way NASCAR is going to take this away from them or their driver who has elevated the sport with new eyes right now.

One of the considerations in favor of the waiver is the elevation it has brought to the sport of NASCAR. People heard about the double and his plane followed like Taylor Swift after Indy qualified at North Wilkesboro for the All-Star race. The attention he attracted was unlike that of his predecessors Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, even reaching the rich and glamorous spectacle of Monaco Formula One.

Of course, just getting attention and getting people to pay attention to NASCAR doesn’t in itself merit a waiver, but NASCAR would set a precedent if drivers wanted to do this again in the future, betting on a championship chance to realize a dream and a goal. Even though they participated in the race but were unable to complete a lap due to circumstances beyond their control.

If NASCAR doesn’t grant the 2021 Cup champion this waiver, there’s nothing stopping him from not racing the rest of the season and jumping in his dirt cars and reminding them who he is.

If NASCAR doesn’t grant the waiver to Kyle Larson – the most talented racing driver on the planet – they’ll just do what they did two weeks ago: punish a driver and then market him all the way. -Trenton Worsham

Vito is one of Frontstretch’s longest-serving writers, having joined the team in 2007. With his Voice of Vito column (monthly, Fridays), he contributes to several other media outlets, including Athlon Sports and Popular Speed, in addition to make radio appearances. He still has a soft spot for old Mopars and probably the oil-soaked cardboard in his garage.