NASCAR: 5 replacement candidates for Kyle Larson

Chip Ganassi Racing suddenly have a seat to fill for the rest of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. Who will replace Kyle Larson?

There had been a lot of talk about Chip Ganassi Racing potentially having to replace Kyle Larson in the near future, given the fact that he was considered the top pending free agent on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series driver market in a loaded class of free agents.

Now, after a bizarre sequence of events, Larson is suddenly unemployed, and the #42 Chevrolet that he drove since becoming a full-time Cup driver back in 2014 does not have a driver.

On Easter Sunday, Larson was competing in a virtual NASCAR race on iRacing at Autodromo Nazionale Monza when he used the N-word. That led to him being suspended by Chip Ganassi Racing without pay and suspended indefinitely by NASCAR until he at least completes sensitivity training.

But major primary sponsors Credit One Bank and McDonald’s cut ties with Larson while keeping their deals with Chip Ganassi Racing intact. Chevrolet suspended their relationship with the 27-year-old Elk Grove, California native as well, so Chip Ganassi’s hands were practically tied.

The team ended up firing Larson.

We are just four races into the 2020 season, although it is a bit of an awkward situation given the fact that the season has not seen any action in over a month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Assuming the season does get back underway at some point, who will replace Larson behind the wheel of the #42 Chevrolet? Here are five possibilities.