NASCAR: Kyle Larson officially receives playoff waiver after missing Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Larson will officially be able to compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series title.

NASCAR said Tuesday that it had granted Larson a waiver to make the playoffs after he missed the Coca-Cola 600. Larson was attempting to run both the Indianapolis 500 and the 600 in the same day on May 26, but rain delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500 by four hours. Larson flew to Charlotte for the 600 right after the 500 was over, but didn’t get in the car because rain halted the race after 249 of 400 scheduled laps.

NASCAR rules state that drivers must start every race to be eligible for the playoffs. However, the sanctioning body has been very generous with playoff waivers. It seemed that Larson’s decision to stay for the 500 was influenced by the likelihood of a waiver, but it took over a week for the waiver to be granted.