The NASCAR driver has been suspended by Chip Ganassi Racing following slur during LIVE broadcast
Kyle Larson dropped the n-word during a live broadcast, hard R and all.
It happened on Easter Sunday in an online iRacing event. The race was setup by fellow NASCAR driver Landon Cassill in a hosted room.
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27-year-old, Larson is an American stock car driver from California.
The race saw 62 drivers on the Monza oval. It’s a real race track that hasn’t been used in years. Yellow flags were disabled.
Nothing about the event made any sense at all. And that’s exactly what made it so fun. The one-off event picked up steam and fans tuned in by the thousands, despite an official sanction.
Many real-world racing stars took the green flag in the event. Stars from NASCAR, Indycar, NHRA and more.
NASCAR driver Kyle Larson appeared to think he was having mic issues. Or he attempted to reach out to one particular driver’s ear piece.
Another theory is that he was attempting to reach out to his personal spotter on a private channel. It’s still unclear who exactly Larson was speaking to.
Instead, the language was broadcast to all 60+ drivers in the event. As well as the thousands who were watching at home.
NASCAR broadcast the event LIVE via their YouTube channel. In addition, many of the real-world racing stars setup in-car streams.
The use of the word caught a wide range of reactions from the other drivers in the event. Those were highlighted on the various in-car streams which showed their screens in addition to a second camera angle of the driver themselves.
Related: NASCAR driver Kyle Larson drops N-word (Video)
Chip Ganassi Racing comments on Kyle Larson’s use of the n-word
Laron currently pilots the No. 42 machine for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team has backing from Capital One and McDonalds.
Chip Ganassi Racing (April 13, 2020 – 10:45am): “We are extremely disappointed by what Kyle said last night during an iRacing Event. The words that he chose to use are offensive and unacceptable. As of this moment we are suspending Kyle without pay.”
Larson was in his 8th NASCAR Cup Series season, the highest level of the sport. He has 6 wins after 223 races.
NASCAR statement
NASCAR has addressed the situation. However, any penalties, fines or suspensions have not been announced at the time of publication.
NASCAR Statement (April 13, 2020 – 9:30am): “NASCAR is aware of insensitive language used by a driver during an iRacing event on Sunday and is currently gathering more information.”
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Links
Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | NASCAR | eNASCAR | iRacing
