Dale Jr., Joey Logano, and Others Comment on Kyle Larson’s Waiver
What’s Happening? This week, the focus of the NASCAR world has been on Kyle Larson. Will he receive a Playoff…
With upset wins and underperforming drivers, the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff grid is as foggy as it ever has been. Some of the sport’s household names are in danger of missing the 2024 Playoffs, and these are the biggest of those names
What’s Happening? This week, the focus of the NASCAR world has been on Kyle Larson. Will he receive a Playoff…
Everyone’s tired of talking about it, but the reality is that Kyle Larson’s Playoff eligibility depends on whether or not he gets a waiver from NASCAR for missing the Coca-Cola 600. This may set a precedent for the sport, but it will certainly impact the Championship and Playoff race.
Larson missing the Playoffs wouldn’t just eliminate any driver, but also arguably the best driver in the series. He’s a genuine Championship favorite, and taking him out of Play would open up the Championship spot for someone else. Giving Larson a waiver also drops the Playoff cutline one spot further back in the standings, which will be monumental for at least one driver. NASCAR must consider this factor when making their waiver decision.
What’s Happening? Joey Logano is having one of the worst seasons he’s had at Team Penske, currently sitting 17th in…
Joey Logano’s “What If’s” from early in 2024 are looming large now. He won two poles in the first three races and had winning speed in each of the season’s first two races, Daytona and Atlanta, before crashing out. Now, Logano sits 16th in points, either four or 14 points out, depending on whether Larson gets a waiver or not.
Logano has simply not been himself since winning his second Championship in 2022. He only won one race in 2023, failing to even make the Round of 12. The 2024 season has seen Logano regress even further.
What’s Happening? When Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fought at North Wilkesboro, one statement from Kyle Busch rang louder…
It has now been a full season since Kyle Busch last visited victory lane. After winning three of his first 15 races at RCR, he’s not been anywhere near the Kyle Busch fans are accustomed to seeing. The result, Busch, is now between 10 and 20 points below the cutline, depending on Larson’s waiver situation.
Either way, he’s on a similar path to Logano. A multi-time Champion who just might be past his prime, or is struggling with lackluster equipment.
Ryan Blaney seemed poised to win at Gateway before running out of fuel on the last lap to finish 24th. The defending Champion is now 12th in points, between 47 and 51 points above the cutline. That’s a solid gap, but he’s fallen off recently.
Since taking the points lead at Phoenix, Blaney has only two top-10 finishes, and he’s dropped like a rock in points. If he’s not careful, he could be in a Bubble fight before the regular season is over.
Bubba Wallace has faded in and out of Playoff position throughout the season, but, for now, he finds himself between 13 and 17 points above the cutline. It’s the same story as 2023 when Wallace was in the eye of the Bubble battle.
Wallace hasn’t quite shown winning speed yet this season. With wild card races like Daytona and the Chicago Street Race left in the regular season, being in Wallace’s position is not ideal.
Chris Buescher has had two close calls this season. He finished second in the closest finish in NASCAR history at Kansas, and he had a tire cut while battling Tyler Reddick at Darlington. As a result, Buescher is, at best, 14 points above the cutline.
Like Wallace, the wild card races threaten Buscher’s Playoff eligibility. However, he has shown winning speed on intermediate tracks, so he can win a race.
Which of these drivers do you think will end up missing the Playoffs? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube.
On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
Watch Also:
Corey Day’s run-in with Connor Zilisch at Circuit of the Americas became one of the most discussed incidents from Saturday’s race, even drawing a response from Denny Hamlin as well, who this week talked about his support for Zilisch.
During the race, Zilisch dealt with brake trouble on his No. 1 Chevrolet but worked his way forward from the rear of the field, advancing from P29 to P4 in the closing laps. With five laps remaining, he engaged in a battle with Hendrick Motorsports driver Corey Day as they exited Turn 2, holding the outside line. But as they contested the position, Day moved up behind him, contact occurred, and Zilisch spun off course to finish the race in P21.
After the contact, frustrated, Connor Zilisch initially referred to Day as an “absolute hack” on his radio, describing the clash as part of the latter’s racing pattern. But the JR Motorsports driver later tempered his comments, simply saying he expects an apology from the young Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Given that Zilisch declined to escalate the situation, on the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin credited him for calmly managing his response after the race, saying,
“Zillich was smart about this. He in his interview, he’s like, “I looked over at him thinking, come on over here. Come apologize.” And he said he just looked at him with a stare like, I don’t know what it is with these guys. Why, Why can’t they… youth?”
However, he questioned Day’s failure to issue an immediate apology. In fact, he said he was “floored” by Corey Day’s reaction, which involved staring at a frustrated Zilisch rather than apologizing.
The No. 11 JGR driver also raised questions about how Hendrick Motorsports evaluates developing drivers. Organizations invest with the expectation of returns measured in wins and titles, but when a driver continues to make visible mistakes, fans and especially other drivers will start to scrutinize. Hamlin pointed to the balance between development and production, asking how long it would hold.
The COTA incident was not the first time Day’s racing antics were questioned. Last week, during the Atlanta race, Day was involved in a multi-car crash on lap five after attempting a three-wide move that resulted in contact with Ryan Sieg. The move triggered a chain reaction that collected several cars.
Sieg responded over team radio, questioning both the decision and Day’s presence in the series.
Hamlin argued that drivers are allowed to make mistakes as part of growth. At teams with front-running equipment and title ambitions, time frames are shorter. But he questioned whether Day faces a deadline by season’s end or whether the assessment extends into the following year.
In Day’s case, results have not offset the incidents that have drawn attention. Hamlin referenced Kyle Larson as an example, noting that aggressive driving can lead to contact as well as wins.
Do you agree with Hamlin’s take? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
