In a country as divided as the United States, getting two people to agree on anything is hard. Thanks to the incompetence and cryptic messaging in NASCAR, Fans, Drivers, and Owners all believe Kyle Larson should be given a waiver for missing the Coke 600 for his bid to run the Indianapolis 500. It is absolutely insane for NASCAR to even hint at potentially denying the waiver. History tells us that NASCAR without a second thought should accept the waiver and move on and yet NASCAR makes a complete non-story and a huge story that paints them in a horrific light.
Kyle Larson Double Duty Bid Washed Away
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Kyle Larson attempted to pull double duty last weekend by running the Indy 500 and then the Coke 600 on the same day. Mother Nature dashed his dreams as rain in Speedway, Indiana delayed the start of the Indy 500 a couple of hours making Larson only able to run the Indy 500. The Coke 600 was shortened by rain as well disabling Larson from being able to run a lap in Charlotte.
When NASCAR went to a charter system in 2016 guaranteeing 36 cars a start in all the races. In the conditions of the charters and run for a championship the driver has to start in every race or would be ineligible should a driver miss a race. However in the past drivers have been able to get a waiver for missing races whether it has been from an injury, a last-minute medical emergency, or even a suspension.
NASCAR has been very relaxed on the starting every race rule we have seen drivers like Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott get suspended and granted a waiver, We have seen drivers miss multiple races due to injury like Alex Bowman, and drivers pulled at the last second for medical reasons like Denny Hamlin all granted a waiver. Now all of a sudden NASCAR is timid to announce a waiver for Larson.
NASCAR Nation Backs Larson
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The Pole sitter for the race at Gateway this weekend veteran driver Michael Mcdowell told the press:
I don’t see the other side of this point at all, I think, if it was me and I did it, and I think that is a different situation and I hate to say it like that, but Kyle Larson is going to win five or six, seven races this year. To sit here and say that he’s not going to get a waiver because … he tried to do the double and brought a tremendous amount of eyeballs on our sport and a tremendous of eyeballs on IndyCar and just helped motorsports all together is crazy.
I know that there’s arguments to that, but I mean, come on, we’re talking about the best driver that’s ever sat in a stock car and we’re not going to give him a pass? That’s crazy.
Team Owner and Indycar series owner Roger Penske told NBC Sports ahead of the Detroit Grand Prix:
That’s up to NASCAR, I mean, certainly I want to see him not lose anything by coming to the Indy 500 for sure. But Larson came here with Hendrick Motorsports to race, they did a great job and I think it’s great for the sport. It’s really good for NASCAR. I know they will handle it properly.
All of this unnecessary controversy came from NASCAR’s Senior Vice President Elton Sawyer on Nascar Sirius XM Radio Station:
To my knowledge, I haven’t seen a request come through, I’m sure at some point, they will send in that request. This will be a decision that not just one person will make but a group will look at it, discuss it, and move forward. He has missed a race. It’s a little bit uncharted waters for us because, in the past, the waivers have been mostly given for medical reasons. So, this one’s a little bit different.
It is quite an over exaggeration from Sawyer given the fact that we have seen drivers miss races for numerous reasons. Alex Bowman missed numerous races after getting injured in a dirt racing crash fracturing a vertebrae after his sprint car flipped missing three races last year. Bowman was given a waiver no questions asked.
Yet another bad precedent coming?
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NASCAR has been notorious for setting horrific, penalizing drivers for showing emotion after the race via getting in to a fight with another driver they felt wronged by and in the same incident no punishment for the driver who used his car as a weapon and initially wrecking another driver or NASCAR fining drivers for speaking negatively about NASCAR on TV or podcast.
If NASCAR denies Larson’s waiver not only will we never see a NASCAR driver attempt double duty again, NASCAR fans will once again rebel. Fans have been losing intrest for years with gimmicking up the sport. The desire for motorsports is there Formula One is gaining popularity, local dirt tracks are gaining popularity, six million people tuned in for the Indy 500.
The thirst is there and NASCAR continuously gets in their own way over remedial issues like this. If NASCAR doesn’t grant NASCAR a waiver to Kyle Larson there needs to be overhauling changes to leadership in NASCAR. Running different disciplines of racing should be encouraged it helps all motorsports seeing Larson in Indycar, or a Daniel Ricciardo in NASCAR for a one off. Punishing a driver severely for actions outside of his control is not just a bridge too far, its a bridge, forrest and a city too far.
About The Author
Dillon Hildreth is a writer for Total Apex and a lifelong fan of Football with his favorite teams being the New England Patriots and the Georgia Bulldogs. Dillon is also a fan of Motorsports Red Bull in Formula One and William Byron in NASCAR. You can catch Dillon Stream F1, NASCAR, and other video games and sidecasts on Kick.
