NASCAR Cup Series: Kyle Larson breaks his silence
By Asher Fair
For the first time since his NASCAR firing, former Chip Ganassi Racing Cup Series driver Kyle Larson spoke about his mistake.
Back on Easter Sunday, NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson and a number of other drivers from various racing series were passing time during the coronavirus pandemic via iRacing.
During a virtual NASCAR race at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, one which was being live streamed on multiple Twitch channels, Larson used a racial slur.
The following day, the hits started coming for the 28-year-old driver of the #42 Chevrolet. He lost several sponsors and was suspended indefinitely by both NASCAR and by Chip Ganassi Racing.
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With no other options due to the sponsorship losses that would have come with keeping the Elk Grove, California native on his team, Chip Ganassi fired Larson and replaced him with 2003 champion Matt Kenseth.
Larson has since completed sensitivity training, but he has not been reinstated by NASCAR. He has reportedly not requested reinstatement at this point, which he must do in order for those procedures to take place.
Now, for the first time since his firing, Larson spoke about his big mistake in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press.
Here is what he had to say.
"“I was just ignorant. And immature. I didn’t understand the negativity and hurt that comes with that word. That’s not a word that I had ever used. I grew up in Northern California, all I ever did was race and that’s all I was focused on. There’s probably a lot of real-life experiences I didn’t get to have and I was just ignorant to how hurtful that word is.”"
Larson did speak about the matter before now, but that was before he was officially fired, so this is the first time he has addressed the matter as an ex-Chip Ganassi Racing driver. Following his initial suspensions, he spoke in an apology video that is no longer accessible due to the fact that he disabled his social media accounts a few months ago.
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Whether or not a NASCAR team will step up and give Larson a second chance remains to be seen. One team, Stewart-Haas Racing, stands out as a potential landing spot, given that Larson had been linked to a seat there even before the incident as well as the fact that team co-owner Tony Stewart has been outspoken about NASCAR allowing him to return to the sport.