Kyle Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600, thus NASCAR did not offer him a playoff exemption during race week. He is no longer listed on the playoff points report.
This doesn’t signify anything, but NASCAR is currently acting as if Kyle Larson is ineligible for the playoffs. This does not necessarily imply a decision has been made, but it is something to consider following the Enjoy Illinois 300.
Jeffrey Gluck from An athlete I discovered a little missing in the post-race score report. So Larson is not eligible for the playoffs at this time. Does this imply that it will stay that way? Does this imply a choice has been made?
I am not sure.
This should not cause anyone to panic. On the Monday following the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR did not include Kyle Larson as a playoff driver on the website’s rankings page. It’s only that he missed the race and does not currently have an exemption, so he can’t compete in the playoffs until one is granted.
Consider this a procedural issue more than anything else. However, the longer this continues, the more concerned Larson and his team should be. What everyone expected to be an easy conclusion has turned into the season’s biggest discussion.
Personally, I believe it is a no-brainer to grant him this exception. If a driver can be granted an exemption after being disqualified for on-track conduct, Larson certainly deserves one in this case. I understand if you are a stringent law-abiding citizen who believes that such an exemption should not be granted, but NASCAR has never done it that way.
NASCAR is free to make any decision it deems appropriate. This should be an exception for Larson.
Kyle Larson describes Kyle Busch’s collision following the race.
Now, returning to the track, Kyle Larson performed admirably today. He had a top-5 car at the start of the race, but was unable to demonstrate it due to an incident with Kyle Busch.
The two drivers collided, Larson lost control in Turn 1, and they both raced for the barriers. Busch received so much damage that his day was over. Larson believed he had a flat tire but escaped unharmed.
After the race, Larson described what caused the incident.
“Yeah, we were coming to the end of the stage and I was a little bit better than him and left four to pass him sideways and barely touched his side and I don’t know, I guess that pissed him off and he squashed into me,” Larson recalled. “I thought I had a flat tire when I turned into one because he spun backwards, but I guess he just knocked the wind out of me and [I] turned. I’m not sure what his side of the story was, but that was probably mine.”
Kyle Larson secured a top-10 finish at Gateway. Things were not going well today, but he made the best of it. Larson consistently makes the most of his opportunities.
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