No matter how you feel about the incident with Kyle Larson using a racial slur during an iRacing event, you have to admit, someone needs to give Larson a hug because he has pretty much lost EVERYTHING he has worked to obtain in his racing career.
The Carnage
His Team
On April 14th a day after the incident occurred, NASCAR suspended Larson indefinitely, triggering a series of additional losses including his team Chip Ganassi, manufacture Chevrolet and title sponsor Capital One. iRacing and World of Outlaws, a series in which he owns a team, also suspends Larson.
The Apology
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) April 13, 2020
His Homes
Kickin’ The Tires reports that two of his homes are on the market.
Larson bought this home when he was just 21 years old in 2014.
Got the keys to my first house pic.twitter.com/mHfKq3veTW
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) June 2, 2014
For Sale
Larson’s second home is under construction and listed for $4.99 million as of 3 days ago.
The Comeback
See, don’t you think that someone should give Larson a hug? But wait, there could be a small comeback on May 8th in the World of Outlaws Series in the No. 57. Part of the recovery efforts by NASCAR and World of Outlaws for re-admittance into their Series was to complete Sensitivity training. NASCAR has not commented on the status of Larson or the training, but the World of Outlaws has clued us in that the training is complete.
As reported on NBC Sports, Larson can race in the World of Outlaws Series again if he completes the Sensitivity training. NBC and World of Outlaws have accepted that the training is complete and Knoxville Raceway has him listed as a competitor on their lineup.
Here is the 48 team Entry List for Friday's @WorldofOutlaws Invitational presented by @mckayinsurance!
— Knoxville Raceway (@knoxvilleraces) May 6, 2020
Watch it live on @dirtvision! Hot Laps begin at 6:30pm CT!#RETURNtoRACING pic.twitter.com/qVrlXBOdbw
Career Stats
Who would not want Larson on their team? He has won in a large number of major divisions from the Weathertech SportsCar Series, K&N Pro Series East and West Division, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Cup Series. The Cup Series alone has recorded 6 wins, 56 Top 5s, 101 Top 10s, 8 Poles, 3213 Laps Led in 8 years of Cup racing, and 223 races.
Difficult Road Ahead
While May 8th is a step in the right direction, the road ahead will have bumps and bruises to make it back to the top. I feel that he will eventually make it there; however, without NASCAR’s blessing, it is going to be hard to make it back up into the spotlight. So, keep the hugs coming and I am sure that he will get through this. He has made it to the top once. I am sure he will do it again.
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