“I saw the hurt on Kyle Larson's face”: Jeff Gordon makes his feelings known on NASCAR’s playoff waiver changes

Jeff Gordon recently reacted to NASCAR’s big changes to the playoff waiver policy for the 2025 season. He shared his thoughts on the changes rooted in his firsthand experience during Kyle Larson's situation, who missed out on the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 in an attempt to complete the 1,100 miles in the Indy 500 and Coca 600. However, Larson was granted the waiver that restored his eligibility for playoffs.

Two weeks ago, NASCAR revealed that if a playoff waiver is granted for missing a race, the driver will lose all playoff points and will start the playoffs with zero playoff points at 16th place. NASCAR also stated that playoff points won’t be removed if a driver misses a race due to medical absence, birth of a child, family emergency, or age restrictions.

Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Jeff Gordon explained that while some may advocate for stricter waiver actions, he feels additional steps weren't necessary because of the emotional weight Kyle Larson carried after missing a Charlotte race. Former NASCAR champion and current vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon said:

“I flew on the plane with Kyle from Indy to Charlotte, and I personally don't think they needed to take any further steps and here's my reason why. Because I saw the hurt on Kyle Larson’s face, I could feel him letting his team down. I heard from fans and sponsors. So if you've never owned a team or driven a race car, then I understand why you feel like you need to take extra action.”

“But if you ever have, you know that there's nothing harder than to make that decision and deal with consequences of not being in that car and Kyle not getting those points, and having the opportunity to win that race car was great. Justin Allgaier did an amazing job,” Gordon added.

---

“We'll go by that” - Jeff Gordon respects NASCAR’s decision behind changing playoff waiver

If this rule had been applied last year, then Kyle Larson would have started the Cup Series playoffs as the 16th driver with 2000 points. The rule change came after Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600 to compete in “The Double,” a rare feat achieved by drivers.

In the aforementioned interview, Jeff Gordon admitted that NASCAR has the final say on playoff waiver policies, and he accepts their authority.

“To let down the team and to me, that's what drives the decision of why you do it or you don't do it in the future, not necessarily whether you get a waiver or not. But I understand NASCAR, that's their decision and we'll go by that.” Jeff Gordon said.