“They Didn’t Wait for Tony [Stewart],” Rick Hendrick's Failure to Beat “Favoritism Allegations” Has Angry Fans Questioning NASCAR’s Genius (2024)

Hendrick Motorsports has been one of the greatest teams in NASCAR for over four decades, boasting the most wins of any team witha total of307 victories. And while they encourage their drivers to steer clear of controversy, the team does prompt them to explore their racing talents in different series—from dirt tracks to the High Limitseries,and now even the Indy 500. For instance, this year, Kyle Larson is taking on the challenge of double duty, qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 108th Indy 500 and racing at North Wilkesboro.

However,there’s a chance Larson from the Hendrick Motorsports team might be late to the start at the North Wilkesboro All-Star race. But recently, NASCAR made an announcement that seemed to benefit Larson, and the decision did not sit well with the NASCAR community.

KyleLarson’s advances to the final round at the Indy 500

The #5 HMS driver has just made it into the last qualifying round of the Indy 500, scheduled from 5:25 to5:55 p.m.ET, creating a tight timetable as hehasn’teven been in his NASCAR Cup car this weekend at North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Instead, Kevin Harvick has been handling practice and qualifying duties for KyleLarson’s#5 Hendrick Motorsports car.

With the NASCAR All-Star Race slated to begin around8:30 p.m.ET,and $1 million on the line, KyleLarson’sparticipation still hangs in the balance, as he has to race against the clock from Indianapolis to North Wilkesboro.

However, the narrow window to reach the racetrack with the Indy 500 qualifications has led to aspecialadjustment by NASCAR. The organization has decided to delay the start of the All-Star Race to8:30 p.m. ET, giving Larson and HMS some much-needed leeway to make it to North Wilkesboro in time. The update was shared by NASCAR on Twitter, stating,“UPDATE: The green-flag time fortonight’s#AllStarRace has been moved to8:30 p.m.ET to allow @KyleLarsonRacin extra time to arrive at @NWBSpeedway.”

But, the decision was unprecedented. In the past, drivers like John Andretti in 1994, Tony Stewart in 1999 and 2001, Robby Gordon five times, and Kurt Busch in 2014 also juggled similar schedules but never had the race timing adjusted for them. And well, that has led to some fans feeling that NASCAR might be showing favoritism towards Larson and Hendrick Motorsports, sparking debate about fairness in the sport.

NASCAR’s delay decision for HMS has stirred up a storm among fans

May 20, 2024 02:20 AM EDTMay 20, 2024 02:50 AM EDTMay 19, 2024 07:14 AM EDTMay 19, 2024 06:50 AM EDT

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On social media, JeffGluck’stweet about the delay got lots of attention, with many expressingtheirfrustration. Fans appreciateLarson’schance to make history by competing inboththe Indy 500 and the NASCAR All-Star race on the same day. They acknowledge that participating in multiple racing series can enhance adriver’sskills and attract more viewers to NASCAR. Yet, many fans see the race delay as unfair preferential treatment.

Reactions range from annoyance to outright anger. One fan pointedly remarked,“Why does a driver get preferred treatment? If he cannot be on time that is his business and not a reason to postpone arace”while another vented,“Lame so one dude holds up the thing for everyone else. If I was there I would be pissed.“

Accusations of favoritism were rampant, with comments like“Not doing a lot to combat the Hendrick [Motorsports] favoritism allegations with this one 😂,” “Only for Hendrick,”and“Ofc.He’sHendrick.”

In addition to that, there seemed to be apalpable sense of disparity, as some recalled past instances where drivers like Tony Stewart and Robby Gordonweren’tafforded the same accommodation.“Theydidn’twait for Tony or Robbie. What makes this punk special“one fan asked.

Another speculated,“I do like Kyle Larson, but not sure they would do it for anyone other than a Hendrick [Motorsports] car. All other drivers are waiting for one to makethere. Oh well, better tune to start with the good weather today.”

A few even suggested that the scenario seemed orchestrated, with one declaring,“THE SCRIPT HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND THE FIX IS IN.“Anothersimplystated,“This is just wrong.”

What’syour take onNASCAR’sdecision to delay the race for Larson? Do you thinkit’sfair to other drivers and teams?