Insider voices opinion about NASCAR’s “worst race” that dashed Kyle Larson’s playoff hopes

NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck expressed his opinion about Kyle Larson's regular-season misery which jeopardized his playoffs. The former attributed the Coca-Cola 600 as the 'worst' voted race as inclement weather conditions instigated officials to cancel it and the Hendrick Motorsports star failed to start in the crown jewel race.

Larson debuted in the Indy 500 this past season. The HMS driver wrapped up his open-wheel racing in P18 and flew to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the remainder of his Memorial Day Double schedule.

When Larson reached the track, the race was red-flagged due to heavy downpours. Nonetheless, the 2021 Cup Series champion prepared to fill in for Justin Allgaier once the officials green-flagged the race. However, that never happened and Larson officially missed a regular season race, which violated NASCAR's policy to be eligible for the playoffs.

Jeff Gluck expressed his concern about the Coca-Cola 600 being voted the "worst race of the season," communicating his "no rain" wish, as the race stood canceled.

"I simply would've wished for no rain Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. That one storm affected both races. Think about that day if that doesn't happen, Kyle Larson had a good run overall (in the Indy 500)...the rockstar vibe that he had arriving at Coke 600, it would've gone off flawlessly then he would've gotten in that race and maybe had a chance to win that race," Gluck said via Dirty Mo Media (11:55).

"The way the Coca-Cola 600 ended, it was voted the worst race of the season because people were so mad that it didn't get restarted that left a bitter taste in everybody's mouth," he added.

Had the governing body not allowed the waiver to the Californian, he would've not been in the playoffs, let alone emerge sixth in the 2024 Cup Series standings.

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Kyle Larson will make a second attempt at the Indy-Charlotte Double after his debut shot failed

Kyle Larson had a strong qualifying session, placing his #17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in fifth position for the 500-mile event. Despite losing some ground during an early race restart, he managed to climb back up to sixth place. However, a pit lane speeding penalty with less than 70 laps remaining hindered his progress.

The debutant found himself leading the race when the race leader pitted. Unfortunately, his dominance was short-lived, and he was forced to pit with 17 laps remaining. From there, he was unable to regain momentum and finished the race in 18th place. The Indy 500 was delayed due to inclement weather conditions that disrupted the annual event's schedule.

“I think with a year of experience, hopefully, we’ll be even more competitive and I’m super confident in the NASCAR side of things that we can go (to Charlotte) and win. It’s just going to be great to finally have that opportunity again and hopefully, the weather cooperates a little better," Kyle Larson said of his second attempt via HMS' official release.

The HMS driver is venturing into other forms of motorsports during the offseason, with his most recent outing being the Turkey Night sprint car Grand Prix.