NASCAR: Kyle Larson applies for reinstatement amid return rumors

Kyle Larson has applied for reinstatement from NASCAR amid rumors that an announcement of his return to the Cup Series is imminent.

Kyle Larson has been indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for over six months after using a racial slur during a virtual race on iRacing which was being live streamed on multiple Twitch channels on Easter Sunday.

Larson, who was the full-time driver of the #42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing at the time, was fired by the team after multiple sponsors cut ties with him over his use of the racial slur, and he was subsequently replaced by 2003 champion Kenseth.

Just four races had been contested in 2020 at the time of his firing, as the season was at a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More from NASCAR Cup Series

While he won’t be back with Chip Ganassi Racing next year, as the team have already hired Ross Chastain to drive the #42 Chevrolet beginning in 2021, there are mounting rumors that he will be back in the Cup Series and that an announcement is imminent.

Many of those rumors point to Larson, who recently wrote a lengthy essay titled “Kyle Larson: My Lessons Learned” detailing his growth as a person since making his huge mistake back in April, joining Hendrick Motorsports as the replacement for seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, but behind the wheel of the #5 Chevrolet instead of the #48 Chevrolet.

Alex Bowman, who currently drives the #88 Chevrolet for the team, is set to move to the #48 Chevrolet that Johnson has driven full-time since 2002, and it is believed that the #88 Chevrolet will be renumbered to #5, which hasn’t been used since Kasey Kahne drove it in 2017.

Those rumors came one step closer to reality this week, as Larson has officially applied for reinstatement from NASCAR, according to multiple sources.

NASCAR has not yet approved the request as they reportedly continue discussions about the matter, both internally and with the 28-year-old Elk Grove, California native himself.

It has long been mentioned that Larson would have no need to apply for reinstatement if he didn’t have a team ready to sign him, especially considering the fact that there was never a chance that he would be back competing in 2020 after his firing.

Chevrolet also suspended Larson indefinitely back in April, marking another hurdle to clear before a return is official.

Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark

Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick recently said that he already has a driver picked out to add to the team for next year but that an announcement of that nature would only serve as a distraction while he still has drivers contending for this year’s championship, and if that driver is Larson, it isn’t hard to see why.

Both Chase Elliott an Bowman have advanced to the round of 8 of the playoffs, the former for the fourth consecutive season and the latter for the first time in his career.

Home/NASCAR Cup Series