Did You Notice? … The NASCAR Playoff waiver has done nothing but cause controversy since its inception? The latest one ended Tuesday (June 4) when Kyle Larson was ultimately granted a waiver despite missing a Cup Series race to run the Indianapolis 500.
The waiver has been in play since 2014, when the sport introduced its multi-round, 16-driver postseason format. It was the first system created in the sport’s history where NASCAR specified a driver needed to start every race in order to be championship eligible. That text lives on today, couched within Section 12.3.2.1.A of the NASCAR rulebook…
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.
Since then, we’ve seen the waiver used (or not) in all kinds of circumstances. Here’s a few highlights…
2014: The first instance of the playoff waiver comes into play after Denny Hamlin missed a race at Auto Club Speedway due to a sinus infection. Hamlin spends much of the year outside the top 16 in points but a win earns him a postseason spot he rides all the way into the Championship 4.
2015: NASCAR grants a playoff waiver to Kyle Busch after missing nearly a third of the season due to injury (11 races). Busch goes on to win the championship.
2016: Tony Stewart earns a waiver to start his final full-time Cup season after a back injury takes him out of the first two months. He winds up winning and making the postseason.
2020: Ryan Newman earns a waiver after missing three races due to injury. Matt Kenseth earns a waiver despite being retired for the first four races of the season, only to come out of retirement and replace Larson at Chip Ganassi Racing. Neither driver makes the playoffs.
Several drivers earn a playoff waiver due to COVID-19. One of them, Austin Dillon, makes the postseason cut but falls short of the Championship 4.
2021: Over in the Camping World Truck Series, Grant Enfinger fails to find a ride for the second race of the season. He spends most of the rest of the year in playoff position, piling up 11 top-10 finishes, but was never considered for a waiver.
2023: Chase Elliott gets granted a waiver after breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident. He keeps said waiver after a one-week suspension for intentionally wrecking Hamlin at Charlotte Motor Speedway but fails to make the playoffs.
2024: Larson gets granted a waiver after choosing…
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