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Jeff Burton wants NASCAR to make improvements on the playoff waiver policy after taking its time to allow Kyle Larson compete for a title. While speaking with NBC Sports NASCAR writer Dustin Long, Burton said the organization needs more clarity on the waivers so the Larson situation won’t happen again.
“Clearly as long as this took, there was a lot of conversation about whether it should be granted or not,” the NBC NASCAR analyst and former NASCAR driver said about Larson. “I understand that debate. At the beginning of the year, [Larson] agreed to run every race unless you have an extraordinary circumstance. At that point, NASCAR will look at it and grant a waiver. Deciding another race is not what this waiver was intended for as I see it.
“I’m not opposed to this decision because I think it would be bad for our fanbase for Kyle Larson to not be in it. But I want some more clarity moving forward, and I think the clarity was better for the fans, the teams, everybody. If they would have said, ‘Look man, I know it’s a bad situation with the rain, but you have to run this cup race. We have fans that have come here to watch you race. We need to give them that. If you don’t run we’re not going to grant you a waiver,’ then they could have made that decision 100 percent knowing what it was that was involved, and the fans would have known it as well.”
Jeff Burton talks more about the NASCAR playoff waiver
Burton continued: “I would like to see that. I would like just to be a little more clear in something like that. And injury, you can’t talk about before. There are some odd circumstances you can’t talk about before. But if you’re going to go do plan something prior to, I think that should be pubic information, a decision should be made and then you stick with it.
Larson was planning to run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The Indy 500 was delayed for nearly four hours due to weather, and after Larson finished that race, he flew to Charlotte for to compete Coca-Cola 600. As Larson arrived in Charlotte, NASCAR called the race due to weather. Larson needed a waiver because a driver has to compete in every Cup Series race to qualify for the postseason.
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