Hendrick Motorsports spent over $3 million on Kyle Larson’s bid to complete the Indy-Charlotte Double attempt during Memorial Day weekend, according to Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal.
Indy 500 entries typically cost between $1 million to $1.5 million, which puts into perspective the financial commitment Hendrick made to help Larson race in the 108th Running of the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. Despite the investment, the Sunday before Memorial Day was anything but celebratory for Larson and co.
Rain delayed the start of the Indy 500 by four hours. That forced Larson to prioritize racing in Indianapolis or at Charlotte. Larson chose the 500 and didn’t get a chance to run in the 600 due to NASCAR calling the race with 151 laps remaining due to rain after he arrived from Indianapolis. He did, however, finish P18 in his IndyCar Series debut.
In the aftermath of a potentially historic day gone wrong, Larson was left needing a waiver in order to remain eligible for the 2024 Cup Series playoffs. Per NASCAR‘s guidelines, “Unless otherwise authorized by NASCAR, driver(s) and Team Owner(s) must start all Championship Events of the current season to be eligible for The Playoffs.”
After nine days of deliberation, NASCAR announced Tuesday it had granted Larson a waiver. Speaking with the media after making the announcement, NASCAR senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer explained that Larson doing everything in his power to race in the Coca-Cola 600 played a role in the decision to give him a waiver.
“Kyle made every attempt to get to Charlotte,” Sawyer said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “He was standing in the pit box with his helmet on, ready to go.”
Elton Sawyer explains why Kyle Larson waiver appeal took so long
Larson lost his lead in the points standings after missing Charlotte, as well as a potential eight playoff points. He now sits second after tallying a P10 finish in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
As for why it took nine days for NASCAR to come to a decision on Larson’s waiver, Sawyer cited how this particular scenario dipped into “uncharted waters.”
“This was without a doubt uncharted waters for us,” Sawyer said. “In the past, those waivers have been given mostly for medical reasons. … This one was unprecedented in that we had a driver miss one of our races. A championship event, to be at another event. That’s why it took as long as it did. There were different views from different people. Everyone had a view on it. The ultimate decision we wanted to get to was the right decision, and we feel like we got there.”
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