Chris Monez is hired and fired before the 2021 season starts following posts involving conspiracy theories and Bubba Wallace
In April, NASCAR drivers were locked in quarantine with the rest of the world. Almost all of them pulled out home racing simulators and took to iRacing for virtual competition. These events were shown on live tv and viewed by millions.
The influx of drivers to the platform created many other less serious events. One of those was a 60 car field on the Monza oval which Larson and many other drivers competed in.
Early in the race, Larson used the n-word while attempting to reach his personal spotter on a private channel. Instead, the audio was sent to the public channel, heard by thousands.
Related: NASCAR driver Kyle Larson drops N-word (Video)
Within the hour, Larson was trending on twitter. He was then suspended by his team, NASCAR and iRacing. A day later, Larson was fired by Chip Ganassi Racing.
Larson returns to NASCAR
Kyle Larson is now re-branding. At the same time, Hendrick Motorsports is as well.
Larson has since stated that his use of the word stemmed from the people he raced with in Australia, who used the word frequently. However, he doesn’t use that an excuse and has taken every measure to show the people who he really is via multiple charity efforts.
He’s also been on a search for information about ‘systematic racism’ at the same time pledging to remove the word from his vocabulary.
Hendrick Motorsports has removed the no. 88 from their stable of NASCAR Cup Series machines. In it’s place, the famed no. 5 has returned to the team. Larson’s NASCAR suspension was lifted on January 1, 2021 and now he’s set to pilot the no. 5 car for the team full-time in 2021.
Sponsorship remains a mystery for the no. 5 car. However, it’s expected that Rick Hendrick will sponsor the car himself through multiple automotive based business operations.
NASCAR spotter Chris Monez hired and fired before the season starts
Chris Monez was announced as the 2021 spotter for Kyle Larson. This was speculated three weeks ago however it was officially stated on January 1, 2021.
Monex announced, “It’s official! Proud to join Team Hendrick as the #5 Spotter for Kyle Larson. 2021 is going to be an amazing year!”
However, just days ago, several tweets from Monez came into question. They began circling on social media which sparked some outrage.
On August 27, Monez tweeted, “wwg1wga let’s go!”
“wwg1wga” is tied to the conspiracy cult of QAnon. They have a wide range of beliefs and theories stemming from a single 4chan user. You can learn more about that below.
Additionally, Monez liked the tweet from President Trump about Bubba Wallace and the noose incident in Talladega.
Trump tweeted in July of 2020, “Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”
Related: Bubba Wallace responds to HATE from Donald Trump
Related: Bubba Wallace reflects on a phone call with Kyle Larson
Several other likes and retweets came in question, stemming from one user who took screenshots and shared them on twitter. The media grabbed it and pushed it further.
Monez then made with twitter account private. It then resurfaced as a public account.
Now, Hendrick Motorsports has confirmed that Chris Monez is no longer affiliated with the team.
So far, Monez has not been penalized by NASCAR.
What is QAnon?
QAnon is a conspiracy theory which started on the popular 4chan website. It’s since spread beyond that particular platform. Facebook and Twitter have both taken action banned thousands of QAnon linked accounts in 2020.
The foundation of QAnon believes that America is secretly run by multiple pedophiles and Satan-worshippers. That the main idea but it goes much depper.
Followers of the group believe these leaders run a global child sex-trafficking operation. The bullet-point is that President Donald Trump is the only person who can stop them.
The president has rarely commented on the group.
“I know nothing about it. I do know they are very much against pedophilia. They fight it very hard, but I know nothing about it,” Trump stated in October to Savannah Guthrie via LIVE NBC interview.
Related: Kyle Larson merchandise for 2021 hits the internet
Who’s Q?
This idea stems from a 4chan user named Q who many believe is a high-ranking government official. The username refers to Q-level clearance at the Energy Department.
The Anon refers to anonymous, as nobody really knows for certain who the user is.
You can make your own decision of who Q might be. You have a wide range of options to pick from. Theories out there list Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, Dan Scavino or even John F Kennedy (who faked his death?).
What does QAnon post?
A series a clues are posted on 4chan from the user in riddles, allowing followers to connect the dots. Followers then dissect the riddles and share YouTube videos explaining their theories of the 4chan posts, allowing the general public to get an understanding of the vague messages.
One of the claims suggest that the military wanted to overthrow the ‘Deep State’ of the government. They brought on Trump to make it happen.
These leaks to 4chan are intended to inform the public ahead of “The Storm”. The storm is believed to be when deep state leaders are arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay. QAnon followers call this the “The Great Awakening.”
Q has previously announced that certain people would be arrested and he’s even been bold enough to declare dates for the arrest. However, those dates have passed, multiple times. The user regularly has an explanation for why the arrest didn’t come to be.
Posts from the user are open to interpretation. But, followers of the group generally break them apart. Last year, Q shared a photo of a string of islands. Bakers (people who dissect the riddles) collectively decided the photo was posted from Air Force 1 and that user Q must be traveling with the president.
“where we go one, we go all,” is the rally chant for QAnon followers. It’s a line from ‘White Squall’ the 1996 film staring Jeff Bridges. The NASCAR spotter tweeted the acronym, “wwg1wga”.
Celebrities like Roseanne Barr and Curt Schilling have also tweeted the catchphrase.
Related: NASCAR team owner Tony Stewart explains why he couldn’t sign Kyle Larson
