After much discussion, NASCAR has confirmed that Kyle Larson will remain eligible for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs despite missing the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway two weeks ago.

On Tuesday, NASCAR approved a playoff waiver request made by Larson and Hendrick Motorsports this week. The waiver allows the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet to compete for the championship, despite being absent from the 600-mile event as he attempted to run both it and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

Larson’s double attempt went awry when inclement weather pushed the Indy 500 start back nearly four hours. With the logistics no longer feasible, Hendrick made the call for Larson to remain in Indianapolis rather than traveling to Charlotte for the 600’s green flag.

By the time Larson finished 18th at Indy and arrived at Charlotte’s rain-delayed event, NASCAR had already called the Coca-Cola 600 official after 249 of 400 laps due to the lingering weather issues. Larson never got the opportunity to turn a lap.

“NASCAR worked through this issue with the race team in an effort to ensure a fair policy exists for such unique situations,” the sanctioning body stated in approving the waiver.

With his playoff eligibility intact, Larson heads to this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway seeking his third points victory of the season in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

The 30-year-old driver currently sits second in the Cup Series standings on the strength of his two wins at Las Vegas and Kansas so far in 2024.

While Larson fell short of his goal to complete the double this year, NASCAR deemed the circumstances outside of his control and granted the waiver to keep his championship hopes alive moving forward.