“That is not the case”: NASCAR Insider rules out popular theory in Kyle Larson waiver saga 

A NASCAR insider has cleared the air surrounding Kyle Larson's impending waiver decision. It's been nearly 10 days since the drama involving the Hendrick Motorsports driver's waiver surfaced but no decision has materialized yet. With that, the speculations are that NASCAR is delaying the process to grab more limelight for the sport.

Kyle Larson achieved the fate of becoming the fifth driver to attempt the exhausting Indy-Charlotte Double. He qualified fifth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and tenth at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, the Memorial Day Double weekend was utterly disappointing for the 2021 Cup Series champion.

Due to heavy downpours, the Indy 500 run got delayed by four hours than the scheduled time and the IMS race got over 20 minutes past the initiation of the Coca-Cola 600. After wrapping up his 500-mile run, the Californian flew to Charlotte, where the race was red-flagged due to inclement weather conditions.

While Larson geared up for the remaining 151-lap race, Mother Nature had something else to offer as the race got canceled. Thus, Kyle Larson couldn't even participate in a points-paying race, let alone finish the remaining run.

Per NASCAR's rule, a driver should compete in all 26 regular season races to be eligible for the playoffs. A waiver, however, allows exceptional cases wherein the driver has no choice but to opt out of the race like in injury-related absence.

Larson's playoff saga is taking more time than usual due to which speculations about using the matter to attract attention have surfaced. NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck rubbished the attention-grabbing notion and unraveled the reason behind such delay.

"I've seen so many people speculating, 'NASCAR knows what they're going to do, they're just stringing this out for attention for clicks.' I'm sorry to tell you guys, that is not the case. The reason that this has not been announced yet, what they're doing, is because they don't know," Gluck said via Dirty Mo Media on X. (0.10)

"And not only do they not know but there's a serious consideration to not giving Kyle Larson a waiver," the Insider added.

Bubba Wallace gives his take on Kyle Larson's waiver scare

Amid the ensuing fiasco about Kyle Larson's waiver grant, 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace shared his belief. The Memorial Day Double weekend is infamous for its harsh weather conditions, which can put a dent in anyone's 1100-mile pursuit and it was the HMS driver this time.

Despite the Indy 500 run getting delayed by four hours, Larson chose to stay at the IMS and risk his Charlotte run. However, his expectations were shattered when several factors during the 200-lap dash stooped Larson's #17 Arrow McLaren car to a dismal 18th-place finish.

Furthermore, his risky approach didn't pay off as his regular Cup Series run got canceled before he could even set foot on the 1.5-mile asphalt, and hence, his waiver scare.

Witnessing the waiver turmoil that has jeopardized the HMS driver's playoff chances, Kenny Wallace asked Bubba Wallace for his take on the matter.

"We've given waiver out for everything, right? But the thing that I do see, which I don't know, the thought process of who's making a decision. But he made a choice. He made the choice to run the Indy 500. He knew the weather is bad and knew all the stuff. Made a great attempt to get there. He made a choice. That's all I'm going to say," Bubba Wallace said.

Per the rankings post the Enjoy Ilinois 300 run, Kyle Larson is placed 2nd in the Cup Series standings and is 21 points behind the leader Denny Hamlin.