MLB pitcher wants to fight NASCAR driver Kyle Larson in UFC
By Asher Fair
New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman wants to fight ex-Chip Ganassi Racing NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson in UFC over his use of a racial slur.
What started as a fun night of virtual racing being live streamed on Twitch for a few thousand fans around the world turned into a nightmare for Kyle Larson, NASCAR, the racing world and really the entire sports world.
Larson and 61 other drivers were competing in iRacing at virtual Autodromo Nazionale Monza when Larson appeared to lose communication with his spotter.
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The next words out of his mouth would put his career on hold for the foreseeable future.
In an attempt to get his spotter’s attention through his headset, Larson stated the N-word in a nonchalant fashion that shocked several of the other competitors in the event, as well as the many fans who were watching the race live.
“Kyle, you’re talking to everyone, bud,” one person said.
Another said, “No way, did that just happen?”
“Yikes,” said another.
This video quickly made its rounds, and it ultimately led to Larson being fired from Chip Ganassi Racing. This came after they initially suspended him without pay.
NASCAR proceeded to suspend him indefinitely, mandating that he complete sensitivity training before returning.
Larson issued a public apology for his remarks, but iRacing suspended him indefinitely from utilizing their racing simulator service, and he lost several sponsors, including primary sponsors Credit One Bank and McDonald’s. Chevrolet even suspended their relationship with him indefinitely before he was officially fired.
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But a situation like this spreads like wildfire in the age of social media, and an overwhelming majority of people who have heard about it know about it as a result of the fallout, not as a result of actually watching it happen.
Among those who heard about it was MLB pitcher Marcus Stroman.
The 28-year-old Medford, New York native is set to enter his seventh season in the MLB and his second with the New York Mets after being traded to the team from the Toronto Blue Jays last July.
Stroman, whose parents are black and Puerto Rican, has stated that he would like to fight the 27-year-old Elk Grove, California native in a UFC event for charity following his MLB career, saying that Larson “needs his ass beat”.
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It is not clear what Kyle Larson’s future holds, in NASCAR or elsewhere. But one thing is clear: he is no longer the driver of the #42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, something that nobody could have predicted would be the case in April of 2020.