Whenever Kyle Larson’s indefinite suspension ends, the NASCAR driver will have to find a new team.
After Larson uttered the N-word Sunday night during a virtual race that was broadcast live, Chip Ganassi Racing ended its relationship with the 27-year-old on Monday.
“After much consideration, Chip Ganassi Racing has determined that it will end its relationship with driver Kyle Larson,” the outfit said in a statement. “As we said before, the comments that Kyle made were both offensive and unacceptable especially given the value of our organization. As we continued to evaluate the situation with all the relevant parties, it became obvious that this was the only appropriate course of action to take.”
In addition to CGR, Larson was dropped by several sponsors; McDonald’s, Credit One Bank and Clover have all terminated their sponsorship.
The three companies sponsored Larson’s car last year during the NASCAR Cup points races. They each issued statements Monday denouncing Larson’s language and supporting his indefinite suspension by NASCAR and CGR.
Larson dropped the racial slur during an iRacing exhibition Sunday night. The race was live-streamed on Twitch and at one point, but Larson thought he lost communication with his team.
“You can’t hear me?” Larson said. “Hey (racial slur).”
Larson apologized Monday, but the damage was already done.
“I just want to say I am sorry,” Larson said. “(Sunday night) I made a mistake and said a word that never, ever should be said. There’s no excuse for that. I wasn’t raised that way. It’s just an awful thing to say and I feel very sorry to my friends, my family, the NASCAR community and especially the African American community. I understand the damage unrepairable. I wanted to let you all know how sorry I am and I hope everyone is staying safe during these crazy times.”



