(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
Throughout the first stage of Kyle Larson’s NASCAR career, he was a driver known as much for his banter and occasional aired grievances about the series off-track as he was for his six victories on it.
In his second run through the Cup Series ranks, Larson’s diction will again be a point of focus. But this time around it will be for his ability to control what he says, with actions to back the changes he claims to have made before his return.
His overall legacy will depend upon those changes proving true.
Entering NASCAR as a dirt wunderkind with talk of extreme potential in the early 2010s, Larson earned the support of Chip Ganassi Racing and a passionate following as he mixed in occasional victories on dirt with a potential for wins in America’s most popular racing tour thrown in for good measure.
It took nearly three years of full-time competition, but Larson finally made his way to Cup victory lane in 2016. He followed it up with a four-win campaign in 2017 that proved him to be a legitimate contender. Though the ensuing two years were less successful, Larson’s peaks were enough to make him a valuable player in the free agency market for 2021.
Along Larson’s journey came interesting quotes. He proclaimed the Chili Bowl Nationals as a bigger deal to him than the Daytona 500, much to the chagrin of NASCAR’s passionate fanbase. The Californian incited anger in the paddock for accusing Hendrick Motorsports of “cheating,” albeit with his tongue firmly in cheek. Larson called for more drivers to give back to their roots, while praising himself as a “true racer” for his ability to return to the dirt ranks amid a busy Cup schedule.
Then, in April, came the most notable quote to date. The one that nearly ended his NASCAR career.
In the midst of a seemingly harmless night on iRacing, while sharing a virtual Monza oval with stars from NASCAR and IndyCar in a race that was planned as much for fun and meme-ability as it was legitimate competition, Larson unknowingly spoke into the full-field chat and uttered a racial slur.
Minutes later the incident was shared on social media. Within two days he’d lost everything NASCAR had to offer him – his ride, partners and short-term future. Larson was replaced by Matt Kenseth at Ganassi, suspended indefinitely and required to attend sensitivity training, leaving him with little optimism for the future.
With the benefit of retrospect, Larson has no issue with the punishments levied upon him.
“I have had fans come up to me and think they’re being supportive of me and telling me they feel I have gotten a raw deal,” Larson said of the punishments. “I say the same thing to everybody… I don’t feel like I got a raw deal at all. I fully believe the way it was handled was the right way.”
Larson issued a bland apology on social media in the hours after the indefensible mistake. Days later he was off social media altogether, disappearing from the public eye personally as his name became a short-term fixture in a sports media market disgusted with his quote and desperate for discussion with the industry effectively stopped due to COVID-19.
Once his name vanished from those circles Larson went radio silent, popping up only in stories from the dirt racing world, where we was welcomed back quickly and found meteoric success. That stayed true until the late summer months, when Larson slowly came back into the public eye.
In the weeks since he began resurfacing, Larson has largely played his cards well. While completing a historic dirt season that’s seen 42 wins among various disciplines, Larson has said the right things, made no excuses for what he uttered in April and spoke of efforts made to improve as a person from the situation. They included time spent with various foundations and groups, ranging from Minnesota’s Sanneh Foundation to the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia.
His efforts to learn and grow off-track have been lauded within the NASCAR bubble, earning the 28-year-old a portion of his trust with the sanctioning body back and resulting in his reinstatement.
It’s even landed Larson a ride – one of the most iconic in modern NASCAR. He’ll pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, bringing back the number team owner Rick Hendrick first used in his early days in Cup Series ownership.
Hendrick first reached out to Larson as a friend after the incident in April. What he heard from the Californian over time made him an apparent believer. He’s since taken on the task of rejuvenating his NASCAR career, signing Larson to a multi-year contract despite having no sponsorship lined up for him.
“The thing that impressed me so much about Kyle was his heart and the things he was doing above and beyond what he was asked to do,” Hendrick said of Larson. “I had to get comfortable with his heart and that he was really sincere. He was not afraid to tell everyone that it was a terrible thing, ‘Sorry I did it. I’m going to make it right.’”
That’s given Larson newfound opportunity. With the days winding down in what may have been the worst year of his life, Larson has fallen into what might be the best ride of his NASCAR career.
Chevrolet has agreed to support Kyle months after suspending its relationship with him, claiming through a statement from Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports, that Kyle had “taken positive steps, focused on listening and learning and (sic) expressed his commitment to be an agent of change for the positive when it comes to inclusivity and diversity in NASCAR.”
Larson has convinced the right powerful people of his growth, allowing him a once-unthinkable opportunity to restart his NASCAR career. He’s also reaffirmed his plans to continue growing in appearances on the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast and with the media in a Thursday teleconference.
That’s left Larson in a good place with NASCAR’s 2020 season winding down and the focus quickly shifting to 2021. But perhaps his biggest challenge yet will come when he’s back in the public eye as a full-time Cup competitor.
First come the obvious on-track expectations. Larson will likely be in race-winning equipment, as each of his future teammates has shown with triumphs this year. Showing glimmers of hope will no longer be enough for Larson to skirt by without criticism. He’ll need to find ways to visit victory lane with relative frequency.
But the bigger test will fall with Larson’s image away from the cockpit.
He’s said and done all the right things to date, but much of that’s come from behind the scenes with potential to be orchestrated. With increased exposure will come moments when his newfound image is tested without as much opportunity for rehearsed responses.
Larson believes those moments will be what prove him genuine.
“I think people, as they get to spend more time around me or get to see what I’m doing off the racetrack, outside the race car and get to really learn who I am, I think that’s when the forgiveness will be there and people will have a more open mind to forgive me,” he said on Thursday.
“I know that takes time. It’s still been such a short time since this all happened that I still have a lot of my reputation to rebuild.
“I look forward to being around Mr. (Hendrick) and learn a lot off of him because he’s probably one of the – if not the – most respected people in the garage area. It will take time, but I think who I really am will shine through and people will be able to forgive me.”
Over time the fans, paddock and Larson’s fellow competitors will come to learn if the growth he claims to have experienced is true. If he continues to use his newfound wisdom and position to champion the eradication of the sort of mistakes he made, this could come to be a great positive made from the darkest of career moments.
Larson seems to think that will be the case.
For the sake of himself and those that have believed in him, here’s to hoping that proves true.
