Rick Hendrick Seemingly Made a Mistake With Kyle Larson’s Indy Experiment as NASCAR Community Rallies Against the HMS Star

“We need to be at Charlotte for the points,” Rick Hendrick had said earlier when asked if the dark cloud situation arises at Indianapolis with regards to Kyle Larson pulling off the double duty. Yet, once the skies cleared, a spokesperson for Hendrick Motorsports announced that the Indy 500 would take precedence. Hendrick himself was present at the track in Indianapolis, joined by Jeff Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, who has deep roots in Indiana and once aspired to compete in the Indy 500.

Rick Hendrick had already expressed that choosing between the two races would be difficult. However, since the team made the Indy 500 their priority, many fans are echoing the sentiments of Jordan Bianchi, arguing that it wouldn’t be right to give Kyle Larson a waiver to participate in the playoffs, especially since he missed an entire NASCAR race deliberately.

Kyle Larson’s decision to choose Indy 500 over NASCAR can deprive him of the playoff position this season

Kyle Larson had his sights set on a big challenge this year, aiming to tackle both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day—a feat only a few drivers, including Tony Stewart, have accomplished. Unfortunately, Mother Nature and a bit of bad luck at Indy threw a wrench in those plans. After months of gearing up for the doubleheader, Larson ended up only running in Indianapolis due to severe weather delays and a couple of missteps on the track. 

Rain delayed the start of the Indy 500 by hours, and during the race, Larson slipped up during a restart, dropping back significantly. Then, a speeding penalty on the pit road sealed his fate, leaving him to finish in P18. By the time he arrived in Charlotte, the rain had taken over Charlotte as well, and he didn’t even get to start the NASCAR race at all.

NASCAR rules state that drivers must participate in all regular season races to qualify for the playoffs, considering both points and wins. Since Larson opted to stick with the Indy 500 rather than head straight to Charlotte, he might face the reality of not receiving a waiver from NASCAR to compete in the playoffs.

Apparently, even Jordan Bianchi isn’t exactly cheering for Kyle Larson to get that waiver. In a recent video, he laid it out pretty clearly, saying, “This was a choice they made, but you knew going Indy brought risks. And there were consequences and you just skip which is supposed to be a marquee Round Jewel Race, a race that you just said towards more point more points technically more important than any other regular season of race because of the points awarded.”

He then put the team on the spot, asking, “Once things got kicked down the road in Indianapolis. Why did… NASCAR, your full-time job, why did that have to move to the back? Why was that not the most important thing?”

However, a media report mentioned that NASCAR executives and Hendrick Motorsports have already been in talks, but Hendrick couldn’t officially ask for a waiver until Larson actually missed the 600. It seems like NASCAR might take a bit to decide, but they’ve been pretty flexible with these kinds of requests in the past. With all the attention on Larson’s shot at the “double,” it’s likely they’ll stick to their usual stance on waivers.

Plenty of drivers have missed races for all sorts of reasons—crashes, suspensions, injuries. But Larson’s situation is unique, stirring up quite the debate among fans, many of whom aren’t too thrilled about the idea of granting him a waiver.

Fans do not support a waiver for the HMS star

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There’s already a feeling out there that NASCAR tends to play favorites with the big-name teams like HMS and JGR. Just last week, they held up the Darlington race by 16 minutes so Larson could make it, sparking claims of favoritism. Now, the idea of him getting a waiver is stirring the pot even more.

Echoing Jordan Bianchi, one fan posted, “I agree too. He’s right. I was 💯of the opinion that he should have left Indy to be on time to start the 600 because that is the job that pays the bills. They stayed to run Indy. So be it. No playoffs till next year.“ Another chimed in, “This is 100% the correct response. The Larson and Hendrick fans need to take off the blinders, and listen to this explanation.”

A fan couldn’t help but add, “I hope he doesn’t get it lol.“ Meanwhile, another reiterated, “I think regardless of him turning a lap in Charlotte he made his choice when he stayed. At that point, he put that race above the requirements he knew in advance to compete for a championship.”

Then, with a dose of sarcasm, a fan pointed out, “But he’s Kyle Larson & he drives for @TeamHendrick . Of course he will get a waiver,“ hinting at what many perceive as NASCAR’s leniency towards its star teams.