Be it cruising around NASCAR’s ovals or controlling a machine on the dirt tracks, Kyle Larson is an expert in all aspects. However, the journey of this versatile genius hasn’t always been a smooth one. There was a time when the Elk Grove native found himself in a situation that was arguably the worst slump of his career.
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Bubba Wallace was quite sympathetic toward Kyle Larson when NASCAR fired him for using the N-word during an iRacing event back in 2020. Wallace has been a rival of Larson on the track, but it seemed like he had nothing but admiration for Larson off the track.
While talking to reporter Lindsay Czarniak, Wallace said, “I always thought he was a great guy. We were super competitive, we raced back in the K&N days, we had a grudge match back then, and ever since we’ve always been really fierce competitors on the racetrack when we had those opportunities. I wish him nothing but the best.”
When Bubba Wallace heard the news for the first time, he immediately thought of Larson’s family and kids. Moreover, he felt like the impact was on his then-race team, Chip Ganassi Racing, and above all, the entire sport. “It was a major setback for us,” he admitted. “It’s really frustrating to be a part of it indirectly. It was tough.”
Wallace was at a loss for words when Larson reached out to him immediately after the latter was fired. Wallace said, “It took me almost 24 hours to come up with something to think about and whatnot to be able to communicate with him.”
“When he called, just hearing his voice…man, he is not in a good spot. It’s a long road ahead of him, but also for our sport to rebound from that. But I think we can all learn from it and make a big impact on the sport,” he added.
How Kyle Larson came out clean on the other side
Chip Ganassi Racing couldn’t possibly let McDonald’s, Credit One Bank, and Chevrolet pull their funding and bankrupt his team. Hence, their hands were tied as they had to send Kyle Larson away from the team.
After the mishap, Larson turned to Twitter to publicly apologize to his fans on social media. To his credit, the apology was indeed sincere.
He said, “I just want to say I’m sorry. Last night I made a mistake and said the word that should never, ever, be said. 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.”
NASCAR Driver Kyle Larson Uses N-Word During Virtual Race https://t.co/fidek0QT5a
— TMZ (@TMZ) April 13, 2020
“I understand the damage is probably unrepairable and I own up to that. I just want to let you all know how sorry I am and I hope everybody is staying safe during these crazy times,” he added, with clear remorse resonating in his voice.
