"Someone at HQ was personally offended" - Insider criticizes NASCAR's delay in granting Kyle Larson waiver

NASCAR finally granted Kyle Larson a playoff waiver for missing the Coca-Cola 600 after the race weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. The overall timeline surrounding the waiver request and the delay in approving it have raised concerns.

Larson missed the Cup Series event as a rain-delayed Indy 500 kept him occupied during his Double attempt. According to multiple insiders, Hendrick Motorsports prioritizing the IndyCar race over the NASCAR crown jewel race seemed to have made the decision difficult for the governing body.

Daniel DiOrio recently suggested on the Rubbin' is Racing podcast that Kyle Larson missing the Coca-Cola 600 might have offended some NASCAR executives. He suggested that making the decision shouldn't have taken such a long time, although they did grant him playoff eligibility.

"It seems to, given how long it took, someone at NASCAR HQ was personally offended that Larson prioritized IndyCar over the series that he should be full-time competing in," DiOrio said [at 7:34].

DiOrio suggested that some personal feelings were hurt by Larson and Hendrick Motorsports' decision to miss the Coca-Cola 600. He criticized the governing body for the delay, suggesting that the #5 Chevy driver's Double attempt had a positive impact on the sport.

"I think that's just an unfair criticism, he was doing something to grow the sport, and bring more eyes onto the sport...To me, it's a little concerning that it took this long and there seems to be some feelings hurt in the process. I understand he is a NASCAR Cup Series driver and that should be the main priority, however, he was doing something that was historically celebrated..."

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NASCAR SVP explains the delay in granting Kyle Larson a playoff waiver

Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competition, said that NASCAR was in unchartered waters with Kyle Larson's case. He mentioned it was unprecedented that a driver missed a Cup Series event to participate in another series, hence delaying the decision.

"This was without a doubt uncharted waters for us. In the past those waivers have been given mostly for medical reasons. … This one was unprecedented in that we had a driver miss one of our races, a championship event, to be at another event. That’s why it took as long as it did," Sawyer told the media (via NASCAR.com).

Sawyer had previously stated that waiver requests weren't approved by a single person, and were decided by a panel. He also disclosed that there were differing opinions on Kyle Larson's case, but he believes they arrived at the right decision.

After 15 rounds in the season, Larson currently sits second in the Drivers' Standings with two wins, 21 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.