Kyle Larson's playoff fate continues to hang in limbo as NASCAR has yet to announce his eligibility for the championship. The delay in announcing the verdict has baffled Kenny Wallace, who firmly believes Larson shouldn't be denied a playoff berth.
The drama surrounding Larson's playoff fate continues to make headlines one week after he missed the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR is keeping the driver and the team on their toes, as they continue mulling over one of the most significant decisions of the season.
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace is not concerned with the delay in the announcement, as he is confident that the decision will sway in Kyle Larson's favor.
Wallace argued that the history of the waivers is too vague, and many drivers have received waivers for "silly stuff."
"Right now, the history of the waiver is very vague. They have been giving drivers waivers over the years for silly stuff! So because of that, Kyle Larson will get a waiver. If he does not get a waiver, then what? Then you're gonna have the greatest race car driver in our era, not race for a championship," Wallace said on the Kenny Wallace show (at 1:10).
The former Cup Series driver went on a tirade arguing that Kyle Larson missing out on the playoffs would be "stupid" and "dumb". Wallace added that NASCAR has given waivers in abundance in the past and shouldn't deny Larson's plea.
"I don't mean to be blunt, but I'm going to. How stupid is that? How dumb is that? And here's why, because I've to remind you, they have already given out waivers out the gazoo," Wallace said.
NASCAR has previously given waivers for drivers missing events due to injury/illness and has even granted eligibility for suspended drivers. Kenny Wallace cited Kyle Busch's 2015 campaign as a similar case, in which he injured himself in an Xfinity race but received a waiver and went on to win the Cup championship.
Wallace believes that NASCAR is delaying the announcement to clear up the rules surrounding the waiver but will grant Larson eligibility for the playoffs.
Brad Keselowski sheds light on the "industry angst" against Kyle Larson
RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski admitted he was not surprised that Kyle Larson hadn't got a waiver yet but believes Larson should and will get his request approved.
Keselowski added that there is some angst in the industry about the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver choosing the Indy 500 over the Coca-Cola 600.
"Probably some industry angst over when things got tough what got prioritized, that's part of how it goes sometimes. Certainly an interesting situation, I feel like he will get a waiver and he should get a waiver and we'll move on from this. As of now it seems like he's gonna have to sweat it for a little bit," Keselowski told Frontstretch (at 1:31).
Brad Keselowski also acknowledged that Kyle Larson's Double attempt had a positive impact on NASCAR and the wider industry.