Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can be hurtful … and costly.
Just ask Kyle Larson.
He is now an unemployed NASCAR Cup Series driver after uttering a racial slur — the N-word — over a headset during a virtual iRacing event on Sunday. When word of the incident went public through social media, Larson’s team and sponsors had a decision to make: should we stay or should we go?
First, Chip Ganassi Racing suspended its driver indefinitely without pay, and NASCAR followed suit with its own suspension. Soon after, the bottom fell out for Larson.
His major sponsors — McDonald’s and Credit One Bank among them — pulled their support of the No. 42 car as long as Larson remained behind the wheel. Money talks, especially in NASCAR 2020, so Ganassi made the decision the next day to fire Larson from his ride in order to save those sponsors — who have had a long relationship with the team — from leaving entirely. A car without sponsorship, especially an established team like Ganassi, is not a recipe for success.
At only 27, Larson has been seen as one of the drivers that could carry NASCAR into the future. Instead, his future, at least short-term, is in doubt. And it couldn’t come at a worse time, as Larson is a free agent at the end of the season. With six career wins and a high of sixth in points last season, he was expected to receive numerous offers.
The speculation on Facebook — and yes, I know that’s not very reliable — is that Larson will end up driving for Stewart-Haas Racing next season, as team co-owner Tony Stewart shares Larson’s love for driving sprint cars in his spare time and would not keep him from those pursuits. Stewart could also be good for Larson in terms of rehabilitating his reputation.
Stewart was once seen as NASCAR’s bad boy, getting in trouble with the powers that be for run-ins with the media and other drivers. He nearly lost his sponsors several times when he was with Joe Gibbs Racing, but success on the track kept them from leaving. If Larson does drive for Stewart, expect Stewart to be questioned for a while, since Larson has now been forced to wear the scarlet letter of racism.
I don’t believe there was any racist intent in what Larson said to his spotter, whose headset went out during the virtual race. Larson is 27; we all were 27 once. I’m not condoning Larson’s actions, but we all said or did things we thought were OK at that age. I’m guessing Larson forgot the race was being streamed on the internet video game portal Twitch. There had to have been at least one viewer who went on social media to report the slur before it even finished getting out of Larson’s mouth.
The backlash was immediate and, by today’s standards, justified. In this internet and social media age, public figures are picked and prodded more than ever. The public knows what these guys had for dinner, let alone what comes out of their mouths during a publicly broadcast event.
The reaction even reached Major League Baseball, as New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman — who is black — challenged Larson to a UFC-style fight once their careers are over.
There is precedent for punishing bad behavior on iRacing. One of Larson’s young contemporaries, Bubba Wallace, lost a key sponsor after “rage quitting” one of the nationally televised NASCAR virtual races a couple weeks ago.
Larson, who is half-Japanese, got his big break in NASCAR through the Drive for Diversity program, in which he drove for car owner Max Siegel, who is black. I don’t think Larson would intentionally say something to offend a racial group given that background. Larson’s Japanese grandparents spent time in internment camps during World War II.
All of this muddies the waters for one of NASCAR’s most talented young drivers. This kid can drive anything with four wheels and a motor. On his 13th try, he finally won the Chili Bowl Nationals indoor dirt race this past winter and called it the biggest win of his career, although he punctuated that statement with a few four-letter words. Larson is passionate about racing, and I don’t think he would intentionally do something to take that away from him.
What he said is deplorable, but he should be afforded a second chance once the hubbub surrounding this situation dies down.
ON HOLD: Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H., has tentatively pushed its season opening Spring Dash back a week to May 9. Speedway offices are closed until May 4, but officials are checking messages and emails daily.
Jason Remillard is a copy editor and page designer at the Recorder. He can be reached at jremillard@recorder.com and followed on Twitter @racinwithjason.