A week has passed since Hendrick Motorsports’ heartbreak on Memorial Day weekend. After the weather played spoilsport, Kyle Larson effectively bid adieu to his 2024 double plan. Very well, he prioritized running the Indy 500. Considering the months of rigorous preparation that went into it, a crucial decision cost him points at the Coca-Cola 600 and also left him at NASCAR’s mercy.

However, the drivers are required to compete in all Cup races, and Larson’s playoff fortune looks bleak. As the Illinois race has unfolded and NASCAR has updated drivers’ standings, Larson’s future is still uncertain. The sanctioning body seems determined to worry Kyle Larson’s fans further.

Another race is done, yet Kyle Larson’s hopes linger

Kyle Larson currently stands second in the driver rankings with 513 points, owning two Cup wins as well. But his Charlotte misery invalidated his playoff eligibility. As a result, Hendrick Motorsports filed a waiver request for missing the Coca-Cola 600 last week but has yet to receive an official ruling from the sanctioning body. Now some time has passed, and even after the Illinois race, Larson’s fate seems jittery.

Matt Weaver shared the complete list of Cup driver standings on Twitter. Barring Charlotte, Kyle Larson would have retained 17 playoff points, second only to Denny Hamlin. But in the absence of a waiver, he currently has 0 points. Weaver’s post read, “Updated driver standings. As has been well documented, Larson shown with no playoff points, pending the results of his waiver request.”

If NASCAR decides to deny Larson a waiver, fans and peers will be outraged. Not only did Kyle Larson draw eyeballs to both Indy and NASCAR, but he also did not have a choice given the inclement weather.

Toby Christie recently claimed lightheartedly that two Xfinity drivers got away with missing several races and still scored playoff berths. Following NASCAR’s Illinois driver standings, Christie quickly clarified his earlier post as a joke. He further cemented Kyle Larson’s dire state, tweeting, “The NASCAR rulebook states all drivers that are competing for points in a series acquire Playoff Points whether they are eligible to make the Playoffs or not. At the end of the Regular Season, if they miss Playoffs the points are erased.”

Despite the lingering bad news, Kyle Larson said he’s not stressed about his playoff status. Numb from his double wounds, he plainly exclaimed, “It’s not up to me. I’ll be here every weekend.” However, while his playoff woes grew stronger, Larson towed another driver along into his misery. A stage 2 wreck entangled Larson in Illinois, and the other driver was not so lucky.

Playoffs eject an RCR driver as well

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It looks like a bumpy summer for Kyle Busch. After his tussle with Ricky Stenhouse Jr at the All-Star Race, the RCR driver got into a mid-race tiff with Kyle Larson. On the final lap of stage 2 at the World Wide Technology Raceway, the two drivers began door-slamming. The No. 5 car snapped sideways, pushing Busch’s car into the SAFER barrier and breaking his right rear toe link.

As a result, Busch finished 35th and dropped from 14th to 17th in the championship standings. He also landed outside of a playoff spot. Kyle Busch explained his frustration after leaving the infield care center. “It looked like (Larson) got loose down the front straightaway into Turn 1. He was on older tires and trying to get us for a spot. I’m not sure what that single point would mean for him, but it certainly hurt us a lot.”

As if the long winless streak were not enough, Kyle Busch’s wrecks have dealt a severe blow to his playoff position. If there’s any consolation for him, the series’ best driver is also wallowing in the same miserable area as him.