Kyle Larson fired by NASCAR team after using racial slur during iRacing event
Chip Ganassi Racing has ended its relationship with NASCAR driver Kyle Larson.
Larson was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR after he made a racial slur during an April 12 iRacing event. Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports reported that Larson said the n-word while taking part in a virtual race that featured over 60 participants.
"After much consideration, Chip Ganassi Racing has determined that it will end its relationship with driver Kyle Larson," the organization said in an official statement given to NASCAR on Tuesday. "As we said before, the comments that Kyle made were both offensive and unacceptable especially given the values of our organization. As we continued to evaluate the situation with all the relevant parties, it became obvious that this was the only appropriate course of action to take."
The morning after the virtual race, Larson offered an apology via Twitter:
"Last night I made a mistake and said the word that should never, ever be said," Larson stated. "There’s no excuse for that. I wasn’t raised that way. It’s just an awful thing to say. I feel very sorry for my family, my friends, my partners, the NASCAR community and especially the African-American community. I understand the damage is probably unrepairable, and I own up to that. But I just want to let you all know how sorry I am, and I hope everybody is staying safe during these crazy times. Thank you."
ESPN's Ryan McGee reported that nearly 1 million people were watching the virtual race when Larson said the slur. McGee also explained that multiple previous sponsors had distanced themselves from Larson before Chip Ganassi Racing parted ways with the driver.
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