NASCAR Cup Series: No doubt that Kyle Larson’s apology is sincere

Kyle Larson’s apology for accusing Hendrick Motorsports of cheating throughout NASCAR Cup Series seasons is undoubtedly sincere.

After accusing Hendrick Motorsports of cheating earlier this week, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson went on to say that he only said what he said in a joking matter, and he issued an apology for saying what he said about the lone four-driver Chevrolet team in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The whole idea behind the 26-year-old Elk Grove, California native saying what he said to begin with revolves around the fact that Hendrick Motorsports typically start out seasons slow before finding speed as they progress.

That was the case last season (0 wins in the first 21 races, three wins in the next 11 races), and it could be the case again this season considering the fact that none of the team’s four drivers have finished a race in the top eight through the season’s first two races, which is something else that was the case last season as well.

Jimmie Johnson’s ninth place finish in the season opener, the 61st annual Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway is the highest finishes among the finishes of the team’s four drivers so far this season. Johnson then finished the season’s second race, the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 24th in his #48 Chevrolet.

Here is how the team’s other three drivers have started off the 2019 season.

Chase Elliott – #9 Chevrolet

• Daytona 500: 17th
• Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500: 19th

William Byron – #24 Chevrolet

• Daytona 500: 21st
• Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500: 17th

Alex Bowman – #88 Chevrolet

• Daytona 500: 11th
• Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500: 15th

Here is what Larson, who recorded finishes of seventh and 12th place, respectively, in the season’s first two races in his #42 Chevrolet to open up the 2019 season, had to say about Hendrick Motorsports cheating when he made his comments about the matter on Monday, according to NBC Sports.

"“Atlanta is so different than any other track that we’re going to go the rest of the year that you can’t jump to conclusions off one week. I feel like Hendrick plays games in a way with NASCAR. I feel like they always start the year off kind of bad to like show NASCAR that they’re being nice and cooperating and following the rules and stuff, and then it gets a couple of months in, and they start cheating and finding some speed.“So I don’t know. But it was satisfying. It’s been satisfying the last few years to be considered the top Chevy team. That’s something that this race shop prides itself on, but we don’t need to be the best Chevy team. We want to be the best team.”"

Here is Larson’s apology, which he issued on Tuesday, according to Autosport.

"“I want to apologize to Mr Hendrick and Team Hendrick for the comments I made earlier today. I feel terrible about it. I meant it jokingly, but shouldn’t have implied they are anything but a strong competitor that gets better as the season goes on. I appreciate the engine support we get from them as they are major part of the reason we have been as strong as we are.”"

Also on Tuesday, Larson even went on to say that he needs to work on his word choice when making comments in the future even though he feels that there is an element of making comments as a NASCAR driver that needs to be “honest” and “open”. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to NBC Sports.

"“I think there’s right times to say what’s on your mind and other times I could definitely do a better job of using different words or something that could make things come across a lot better. (Wife) Katelyn would probably be the first person to tell you I’m not the best with my words.“Either way, it hurt some feelings. Hendrick is a partner of ours at Chip Ganassi Racing. We love having their support, and we use their engines. We believe we have the best engines out there.  I meant no harm by it. But I regret saying that because they are partners of our race team in a way.“Growing up watching NASCAR, and when it started getting corporate, I didn’t ever want to be like that. You have to be a little bit, but I like being honest. I think fans should appreciate drivers being honest and open, and this is my personality. Yeah, I don’t like sugar-coating stuff. You have to here and there to not hurt feelings or get yourself in trouble, but I like being open.”"

In an instance such as this where the athlete in question was clearly joking about a competitor when he made the comments that he says he regrets, is not my place to say that “Larson shouldn’t have apologized”.

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Larson did what he felt that he needed to do, and that’s the way it is. Period. Different people respond differently to what they perceive as their mistakes and what other people perceive as their mistakes, and this is how Larson chose to respond.

The fact is, whether you agree with his decision or not, Larson apologized, and with that as well as the rest of the context of the situation in mind, there is no doubt that his apology is sincere. How often do NASCAR drivers — NASCAR drivers — actually apologize for saying things, anyway, especially when they don’t even mean it?

Sure, we could argue that Larson only apologized because of the fact that Chip Ganassi Racing receive engine support from Hendrick Motorsports. And yes, we can joke about it as well — with or without apologizing afterward.

But it could not be more clear based on how Larson made his initial comments and everything he discussed afterward that he truly regrets saying what he said. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated in response to Larson’s apology on Twitter, “Racers know what you meant”.

Do you believe that Kyle Larson’s apology for accusing Hendrick Motorsports of cheating is sincere? Regardless, do you believe that he will choose what are, in his mind, better words when making future comments? Do you believe that he can do so while remaining “honest” and “open”, something else that he feels is necessary?