NASCAR official explains the reasoning behind Kyle Larson's playoff waiver grant

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson was given a waiver after he missed the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600, making him eligible for the NASCAR Playoffs. VP Elton Sawyer reasoned the waiver, pointing out that the #5 Chevrolet driver was in complete preparation for the race.

Earlier in May, Larson marked his IndyCar debut at the Indianapolis 500 race. This historical race was scheduled on the same day as the Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race. He tried to push for a 'double,' meaning he would first take part in the Indy500 and then fly to Charlotte for the Cup Series race. While this was not something that a driver had attempted for the first time in history, Larson couldn't achieve success.

Bad weather conditions led to a four-hour delay in the IndyCar race. By the time Kyle Larson finished that and reached Charlotte, the Cup Series event had already been stopped because of the same reason.

The race was eventually called off NASCAR since the track did not dry up. With Larson not getting a chance to drive his Chevy, the future of his NASCAR Playoffs was dependent on a waiver that the sport usually grants to drivers when they face an injury.

According to NASCAR VP Elton Sawyer, Kyle Larson was ready to get in the Chevy but unfortunately, the race never restarted. This was one of the reasons he was given the waiver.

"We didn't take that lightly. A lot of discussion internally. I'm proud of our team and how we took the due diligence," Sawyer said. "Kyle made every attempt to get to Charlotte. He was standing in the pit box with his helmet on, ready to go."

"This was, without a doubt, uncharted waters. ... This was unprecedented in we had a driver miss one of our Cup races to be at another event. That's why it took as long as it did."

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Why was Kyle Larson's Playoff eligibility under threat despite his position in the standings?

A Cup Series driver is eligible for the Playoffs if they have won at least 1 (one) race throughout the length of the season. Further, if there are not 16 different race winners, the top 16 in the standings then qualify for the Playoffs.

Kyle Larson, who has won two races this season and is in second place in the championship, looks clear off according to this criteria. However, according to Section 12.3.2.1.A of the NASCAR Rule Book, a driver must compete in all of the Cup Series races in a season to be eligible for the Playoffs. And since the race ended without the #5 driver stepping in the Chevy, he technically did not take part in the race.

As mentioned earlier, NASCAR usually provides a driver with a waiver in case of an injury or a crash, whether or not it is related to the sport. Larson's situation, however, was different as explained by Elton Sawyer.