COMMENTARY: While Imperfect, NASCAR's Return Plan Checks A Lot Of Boxes

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said yesterday that after consulting with NASCAR, track and state public health officials, he believes that  the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be run as scheduled on May 25, providing there are no fans in the grandstands and health conditions in the state continue to hold steady, or even improve. 

 North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, who had urged the Governor to designate NASCAR an essential business, called the decision “an important step in bringing our economy back, bringing businesses back, and bringing exciting competitive events back to North Carolina."

As this column hits the Worldwide Web at 9 AM ET Wednesday, there has been no confirmation of NASCAR’s return to competition. But sometime today or tomorrow, NASCAR is expected to announce a schedule for returning to the track, beginning with a 400-mile event at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina on Sunday, May 17. That will be followed by an additional 310-mile race at Darlington the following Wednesday night, May 20. The next week will see back-to-back races at Charlotte Motor Speedway; the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 and another 310-mile event on Wednesday night, May 27. Additional races are expected to be run on Sunday, May 31 at Martinsville Speedway, Wednesday night, June 3 at Bristol, Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta and Sunday, June 14 at Homestead Miami Speedway.

There is a method to NASCAR’s madness when it comes to determining what tracks reopen first, and in what order. North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida have relaxed their guidelines to allow racing to take place, a step that not all states have yet been willing to take. 

Another concern is travel. Teams are not looking to put their personnel on airplanes at present, either commercial or charter. Hotels not not an option at present, either, leaving tracks within driving distance -- Charlotte, Darlington, Martinsville, Atlanta, Bristol and Homestead – to carry the load in the short term. 

NASCAR is also restarting its resurrected 2020 season with four consecutive races using the 550-hp, high-downforce aerodynamic package, allowing teams to use cars they had previously prepared for postponed events at Atlanta, Homestead and Texas. With NASCAR teams just now reopening their shops and getting back to work, rolling out short track, superspeedway or road course cars in the next 2-3 weeks would likely be a burden too heavy to bear.

When NASCAR does return to action, what will it looks like? 

Back to business at Darlington?

Expect strict limits on the number of team members allowed at the race track, for at least the foreseeable future. Social distancing and masks will be the order of the day, with personnel checked for fever every time they enter the race track. That’s not a 100% effective means of identifying people infected with the COVID-19 virus, since it is possible to have the virus and still be asymptomatic. But with no failsafe, quick test presently available to identify those with COVID-19, temperature checks are better than nothing at all.

Many -- if not all -- of the rescheduled races are expected to be single-day events, with practice reduced dramatically and qualifying based on either practice speeds or championship points. The idea is to open the garage in the morning, roll off the event in an expedient, efficient manner and send teams home that same night. 

On multi-event weekends, the Gander Truck and Xfinity Series garages are expected to follow a similar plan, opening only on race day. That reduces the total number of people on-site on any given day, reduces the risk of transmission, expedites testing and makes social distancing easier to accomplish.

The Wednesday night races will be shorter in distance – roughly 300 miles – compacting the program, making midweek racing more palatable for the television audience and ensuring that people can get off to bed at a reasonable hour, with their NASCAR fix satisfied. 

Live pit stops are unlikely to take place, with timed cautions allowing tire changes and basic pit service to be performed at a slower pace, before drivers return to the track in the same order they left. That allows teams to reduce their payroll and transport fewer team members to the track. 

It's not a perfect scenario, by any means. 

In a perfect world, we would prefer to return to competition in a “business as usual fashion,” complete with multi-day events, live pit stops and all the competitive whistles and bells we have come to expect from NASCAR. 

Unfortunately, this is far from a perfect world right now, and very few of us are conducting "business as usual."

In the short term – at least for the next two months – NASCAR will have to ease back into action, the first sport to do so. 

It’s not perfect, but it will do as a means to get back on track, get some revenue flowing to race teams severely in need of capital, and get racing back on television for an audience that has been severely affected by simultaneous outbreaks of COVID-19 and Cabin Fever.

COMMENTARY: Kenseth Is The Right Man For The Job

We learned yesterday that Matt Kenseth will return to the NASCAR Cup Series this season, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing.

He replaces Kyle Larson, who was released by the team after uttering a racial slur during an iRacing event two weeks ago. Yesterday’s announcement caught virtually everyone by surprise, including Kenseth himself, who admitted thinking his NASCAR career was over as little as two weeks ago. Some are questioning Ganassi’s decision to call upon Kenseth, instead of young lion Ross Chastain, to take over the reins of the No. 42 Chevy.

Why a 48-year old veteran, instead of a 27-year old, up-and-coming youngster?

In a word, stability.

Make no mistake about it, Matt Kenseth is not the long-term solution for Chip Ganassi Racing. Five years from now, we will not be talking about a 53-year old Kenseth laboring behind the wheel of any NASCAR Cup Series race car, much less the No. 42 machine.

Despite yesterday’s announcement, Chastain remains the heir-apparent for that ride; or the No.1 Chevy currently manned by Ganassi’s other veteran wheelman, Kurt Busch. But the timing for Chastain is not quite right, and here’s why.

In the aftermath of Larson’s controversial dismissal, Chip Ganassi has spent the last two weeks in damage-control mode. A significant portion of the last 14 days has been spent patching the hole Larson unwittingly punched in the hull of CGR’s corporate battleship, making amends with understandably jittery sponsors – McDonald’s, Credit One Bank, Advent Health -- and assembling an unassailable list of reasons why they should stay on board, rather than look elsewhere in the sport.

Kenseth fills the bill in virtually every way.

Kenseth fills the bill.

He is a steady, veteran presence who will calm the waters at CGR almost immediately. He is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion who finished Top-10 in the championship standings in seven of his last eight full-time seasons. Other than a somewhat fiery on-track spat with Joey Logano a few years ago – a dispute that lasted exactly two races – he has been essentially controversy-free through more than two decades under the white-hot spotlight of the NASCAR Cup Series.

Ganassi said it perfectly yesterday when he said Kenseth brings “no baggage” to the dance.

Ganassi knows what he is getting with Kenseth. He’s getting a driver who has unfailingly upgraded the performance of every single team he has driven for, from Robbie Reiser to Jack Roush (twice) to Joe Gibbs. He will do the same for Chip Ganassi.

Kenseth arrives at CGR boasting a ready-made relationship with his teammate, having worked alongside Kurt Busch for a number of years at Roush Fenway Racing. Both drivers refer to each other as the best teammate they’ve ever had, and putting that particular band back together makes absolute sense for Ganassi.

The team has petitioned NASCAR for a waiver that would make Kenseth eligible for the 2020 playoffs, and despite having to dig out of a four-race hole, it’s not hard to imagine him satisfying all the requirements necessary for playoff qualification and perhaps even winning a race or two along the way.

Don’t worry about Ross Chastain. He will contest strongly for the 2020 Xfinity Series title with Kaulig Racing, continuing to pad a resume that already ranks him as a can’t-miss star of the future. He remains under contract with Ganassi Racing, and he remains a big part of that organization’s future plans.

But the future is not now.

At this precise moment in time, Chip Ganassi does not have the luxury of thinking half a decade down the road. Right now, he needs to focus on stopping the organizational bleeding, pacifying his sponsors and charting a calm, steady, even-handed course through the remainder of a 2020 campaign that has already seen far too much upheaval and uncertainty.

Matt Kenseth is the right man for that job. That’s my view, for what it’s worth. When we come back, Tyler Reddick.

NASCAR Set For May 17 Darlington Return

NC Gov. Roy Cooper: Not ready for
business as usual

The governor of North Carolina delivered good news and bad news to NASCAR fans yesterday, extending the state’s stay-at-home order through May 8 and failing to take direct action on a request to allow the Coca-Cola 600 to be run as scheduled on May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 

Republican lawmakers had called on Gov. Roy Cooper to curtail his stay-at-home order and reopen the track, but he chose instead to continue as-is for the time being, while phase-in a more gradual return to normalcy in coming weeks. 

He said, “I’ve been in contact with NASCAR officials, track owners, team owners. They have come forward with a plan to try and protect their employees. So we’ll be coming forward with an announcement on that pretty soon.”

Cooper said NASCAR teams can return to work at their shops, if they maintain proper social distancing guidelines. He added that in his opinion, NASCAR has qualified as an essential business all along, and could have been working with restrictions in place. 

His comments do not necessarily clear the way for crewmembers to return to work, though, since local and county governments may still have restrictions of their own in place.

Cabarrus County – home of Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing, Roush Fenway, Chip Ganassi and JTG Daugherty Racing currently as a stay-at-home order in place that appears to prevent a return to work until next Tuesday. Mecklenburg County (home of Joe Gibbs Racing) amended its order last week to mirror whatever guidelines are put forth by the state, which could conceivably prevent teams from returning until the state order is withdrawn. Neighboring Iredell County currently has no countywide stay-at home order in effect. Adding to the confusion, the Hendrick Motorsports campus is partially located in Mecklenburg County, with most of its race shops in Cabarrus.

Darlington prepping to host
NASCAR's return?

Despite the uncertainty surrounding race shop reopening, the road now appears clear for NASCAR to return to the race track in three weeks. South Carolina’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Duane Parrish confirmed yesterday that Darlington Raceway will indeed host a race this spring.

He did not specify a date for the event, but multiple reports say that NASCAR is set to return to on-track competition at Darlington on May 17.

There is no word at this point on whether the track will run its traditional Southern 500 on that date – rescheduled from Labor Day weekend – or be awarded an additional, second date in an attempt to help make-up one of the race’s postponed by the COVID-19 shutdown. Track President Kerry Tharp has not yet commented on this week’s reports.

After Darlington, NASCAR will reportedly run the Coke 600 at Charlotte the following week, May 24. Prior to that, sources say that CMS could also host an additional, mid-week race on Wednesday night, May 20. Following those two events in Charlotte, sources say the NASCAR Cup Series will travel to Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, May 27, completing a run of four races in 11 days.

All events will include a strict testing regimen implemented by NASCAR for team members, track workers and media. Limits would be placed on who can come to the track, with personnel checked for fever before being admitted to the venue. At this time, all events are scheduled to be run without fans in the grandstands.

COMMENTARY: NASCAR Could Return Within 30 Days

One week ago, the prospect of a NASCAR race anytime in the foreseeable future seemed to be the most unlikely of prospects. With the country still enmeshed in the COVID-19 shutdown and social distancing the order of the day, NASCAR spent its sixth weekend of inactivity placating itself with iRacing and longing for the day – apparently far in the future – that it might return to the race track in earnest.

Today, a return to competition in the next 30 days appears not only possible, but likely. And as that likelihood increases, a handful of track operators are positioning themselves to the first in line when the green flag falls.

Several Republican members of the North Carolina General Assembly called on Governor Roy Cooper this week to reopen Charlotte Motor Speedway in time for the track’s traditional Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend. State senators from Gaston, Cabarrus, Union, Iredell and Rowan counties requested that Cooper green-light the event, while keeping the grandstands closed to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Union County Senator Todd Johnson said, “People are going stir-crazy with very few live sports underway. And allowing NASCAR racing in Charlotte would be a good first step toward returning to some semblance of normalcy. Gov. Cooper should permit fan-less racing.”

Cabarrus County Sen. Paul Newton said, “NASCAR has already demonstrated it can safely run races without fans while practicing social distancing.”

Despite Newton’s claim, NASCAR has not yet conducted races without fans in attendance, though the sanctioning body is believed to have a plan in place to do so.

Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said Sunday, “We want to do everything possible to support NASCAR, the dozens of race teams in North Carolina and the fans to get back on track. We will work with the governor, state and local government and health officials to make that happen.”

Charlotte Motor Speedway: First to return?

While Charlotte positions itself to host a possible NASCAR return later this month, sister track Texas Motor Speedway may be poised to deliver a bump-and-run to those plans.

Yesterday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted that he had spoken to NASCAR leaders and that, “They’re working to return to Texas Motor Speedway very soon. I hope to announce the exciting details in the near future. To prevent the spread of COVID19, it will be without fans. But they will put on a great show for TV.”

Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage’s reaction to that announcement was initially lukewarm, at best. He said he was not happy with the prospect of racing in front of empty grandstands, calling it “not a good alternative” while acknowledging that it may be the only option the sport has at the moment.

With 24 hours to mull Gov, Abbott’s comments, Gossage took things to the next level yesterday.  A graduate of the unofficial Humpy Wheeler School of Promotional Excess (that’s a compliment), Gossage now says that not only does he want to host NASCAR’s three National Series on the weekend of June 6, he wants to add IndyCar’s Genesys 600 to the mix, creating a four-division buffet.

A week ago, Gossage turned thumbs-down on the prospect of a standalone IndyCar race at TMS. But yesterday, he said the TV money that comes from the track’s NASCAR weekend would make it financially feasible for him to add IndyCar to the mix, saying, “There is a scale of economics in place.” He explained that support staff -- EMT’s, firemen, ambulance workers, Infield Care Center medical staff, TV and radio personnel – would already be in place and ready to work, making IndyCar a better bet in tandem with NASCAR than it is on its own.

If it happens, Texas’ quadrupleheader would trump Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which announced plans recently to hold a combination NASCAR/IndyCar weekend there on July 4 weekend, utilizing the infield road course for Saturday’s GMR IndyCar Grand Prix and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, followed by the traditional quad-oval for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 NASCAR Cup Series event.

Gossage touting NASCAR/IndyCar
quadrupleheader.

Gossage played it coy yesterday, saying that the decision would be totally up to NASCAR, and that he understands the scheduling challenges that will be faced by the sanctioning body in the coming weeks. But he also made it clear that if the NASCAR/IndyCar quad-bill does not take place on the opening weekend of June, it is unlikely that IndyCar will appear at TMS at all this season, unless the track is allowed to sell tickets and fill the grandstands to help pay the bills.

“If the IndyCar race doesn’t happen that weekend, it would be unlikely to find another date where we could afford to do it,” said Gossage to NBCSports.com. “I have my fingers crossed we could get it done that weekend and have a great race, which is the norm for the first weekend in June and two weekends after Indy to do it here.

“We have our fingers crossed. NASCAR has eight or nine races they have to reschedule somewhere. It is their intent, as I understand it from my conversations with them, to run the Coca-Cola 600 and then run every week thereafter. It may not suit them to run the weekend of June 5-6 to pair up with an IndyCar race because it works best for us. Time will tell on that one.

“If you are looking at a standalone later in the summer, I don’t see that happening.”

“If the governor had said ‘no,’ there’s no reason to pursue those points until he changed his position,” Gossage said. “But he’s incredibly enthusiastic about it and wants the world to know Texas is pro-business and `What can I do to help?’ What this does is give us the green light to proceed with planning for a race. There’s a lot of details to work out.

“Our new normal is going to be different,” he said. “We’re all going to have to find ways to make it work. It’s counterintuitive to me to promote a race where you aren’t selling tickets to. It’s a strange way of thinking, but it’s our new normal.

“This too shall pass. We’ll get beyond this and down the road, but it’s quite different right now. The good news is during this time when we are all stuck at home, hopefully those TV ratings for races will be way up and that will be a good thing for all of us.”

Gossage said he spoke recently with new Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske, enthusiastically supported the idea of a NASCAR/IndyCar weekend in The Lone Star State and offered his support.

Charlotte and Texas are not the only tracks attempting to jostle their way to the front of the post-shutdown line these days.

Darlington Raceway could end up in the post-COVID-19 mix as well, after South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued a new executive order yesterday, putting the decision on reopening the state’s beached back in the hands of local municipalities and allowing the conditional reopening of some retail stores. McMaster advocated a “gradual return to normalcy” that could indicate a willingness to allow racing to resume at Darlington Raceway, with conditions.

Unfortunately, all the governmental cheerleading in the world won’t change one simple fact. Unless and until NASCAR teams are allowed to reopen their shops and put crewmembers back to work, there will be no racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, or anywhere else. In order for that to happen, Gov. Cooper will have to designate NASCAR as an essential business, much like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did for World Wrestling Entertainment earlier this month, allowing them to resume hosting live events in the Sunshine State.

“The governor of North Carolina has not allowed the shops to reopen, so unless and until he does, there’s nothing for us to do,” said Gossage. “That’s Step 1. None of this matters until that happens. They’ll likely need a couple weeks to get cars prepped and ready.”

Until that happens for NASCAR, any talk of returning to the race track is nothing more than a terminal case of putting the cart in front of the horse.

COMMENTARY: Larson Gets It, But He May Be In The Minority

Personal responsibility may not be dead, but it’s in critical condition these days.

As the last 36 hours on social media will attest, a significant portion of NASCAR Nation has spent much of its time recently looking for someone to blame for Kyle Larson’s current predicament, other than Larson himself.

For those  who have been living under a rock for the last day or two, Larson got himself into hot water Sunday night, using a racial slur – the dreaded n-word – while taking part in an online iRace. His use of that word triggered a landslide of discussion and debate that continues today, with a shocking number of people defending what was said, and blaming people other than Larson for saying it.

Almost immediately, some online experts went to the tried-and-true tactic of blaming the media for Larson’s mess. After all, nobody would have known about his indiscretion if they hadn’t read about it in the newspaper, seen it on TV, heard it on the radio or seen it online. For the record, “the media” did not drop an n-bomb Sunday night, Kyle Larson did. Blaming the media for his current situation is like blaming the mailman for running up your credit card bill.

iRacing is also not to blame for Kyle’s current plight. There were calls yesterday for NASCAR drivers to show support for Larson by boycotting future iRacing events, based on the colossally ridiculous premise that iRacing had sinned by providing the venue Larson used to say what he said.

Some chastised NASCAR for “overreacting” to Larson’s statement and “attempting to destroy his career.” In reality, NASCAR has done nothing more than suspend Larson from a sport that is itself suspended, while providing him with an easy-to-follow road map back into the good graces of the sport. 

All NASCAR has asked of Larson is that he complete a Sensitivity Training course. The last driver to receive such a sanction was back on the race track in two weeks, and there is no reason to think that Larson will be any less successful. He has the ability to attend those sessions, make himself valedictorian of his class and be reinstated by NASCAR, long before our sport returns from the COVID-19 shutdown.

So much for destroying his career.

Larson is in hot water.

People are angry at Chip Ganassi for suspending Larson indefinitely, without pay. Put yourself in Ganassi’s shoes, for just one moment. You are the owner of a multi-million dollar NASCAR, IndyCar and Sports Car racing collossus, with hundreds of employees who depend on you to put food on the table, pay the monthly mortgage and buy little Timmy a new pair of shoes. You have major sponsors, without whom your organization will grind to a complete and total halt, and one of your employees has put that entire process in jeopardy by saying something that much of the country finds extremely distasteful. 

Under those circumstances, doing nothing – saying nothing -- is not an option. If you are Chip Ganassi, failure to take decisive action would be seen as tacit approval, and one can only imagine the outcry that would rightfully result from a NASCAR team owner saying, “We have no problem with our driver using the n-word.”

Amazingly, some people out there are even upset with Larson’s sponsors for withdrawing their financial support. Let’s make one thing perfectly clear; companies like McDonald’s, Credit One Bank, Advent Health, Chevrolet, Clover and Lucas Oil made Kyle Larson a millionaire. They bankrolled his NASCAR and World of Outlaws Sprint Car operations, allowing him to do what he loves at the highest possible level, while asking only that he be a positive representative for their respective brands. 

Larson obviously dropped the ball in that regard Sunday night, putting himself – and by association them – directly in the crosshairs of controversy, subjecting them to scrutiny and criticism that they did nothing to earn and do not deserve.

Can you imagine the response if McDonald’s had not reacted yesterday? Can you imagine the international tumult that would have ensued had the iconic Golden Arches simply shrugged their collective shoulders and said, “Oh well. Not our problem?"

 Those corporations had to react, and they reacted appropriately.

There is a road back...

If you’re questioning the fairness of yesterday’s sponsor withdrawals – and yes, it was a tough 90 minutes or so as they stepped away, one after another – ask yourself this. Is it coincidental that six highly successful corporations all responded to Larson’s comments in exactly the same way? Or was it a justifiable reaction to a serious breach of contract?

Despite the reams of red tape in the standard NASCAR sponsorship contract, the agreement is fairly simple. As a sponsor, we fund your race team at a colossally generous level, and you agree not to make us look bad.

Unwittingly and unintentionally, Larson made his sponsors look bad. It's guilt by association, and all six companies reacted in the best interest of their companies, their stockholders and their employees.

Here’s one of the few bits of good news in this mess. While a significant portion of NASCAR Nation flails its arms angrily in the dark, looking for someone to scapegoat other than the ridiculously handsome, incredibly talented, immensely likeable young man they see on television every Sunday afternoon, Kyle Larson gets it.

He knows who is to blame, and he said so yesterday in a 42-second apology video that was both heartfelt and sincere. He did not pass the buck. He did not blame NASCAR, iRacing, his sponsors or the media. He blamed himself for a momentary lapse of judgement that offended many, impacted thousands of innocent individuals who did nothing at all wrong, and plunged this sport (yet again) into an age-old controversy that has nothing to do with racing and everything to do with race.

In cases like this, it is possible to hate the sin, while loving the sinner. Very few people – and none outside the lunatic fringe – want Kyle Larson to be fired for his use of the n-word Sunday. It may happen, but no one looks forward to that possibility.

Supporting Larson in his bid to be reinstated by NASCAR is possible without defending the action that got him into this pickle. You can like and respect Larson (as I do) while still disliking what he said and the impact it has had on our sport.

I sincerely hope that Larson is able to rebound from this controversy by taking the steps NASCAR has laid out. People have short memories, and Larson will almost certainly receive another opportunity in this sport, whether with CGR or elsewhere.

Larson is in a dark place today, but the sun will eventually rise again. There is a road map back to the good graces of NASCAR, as proven by former series champion Kurt Busch.

Not so many years ago, Busch was as controversial a figure as this sport has ever seen. A negative-publicity generating machine, Busch alienated fans, media, team members and sponsors to the point where he was released by Penske Racing after being deemed more trouble than he was worth.

That experience was humbling in the extreme, forcing Busch to take a then-second tier ride with Furniture Row Racing, which was then  a few years away from its championship prime. Busch humbled himself, paid his penance and began the process of reclaiming both his image and his place in the sport. Today, he is a respected veteran and a stabilizing influence, ironically serving as a teammate/mentor for Larson at Chip Ganassi Racing.

If asked, Busch can draw a map that leads his young teammate back to the good graces of the game. And honestly, Larson is already off to a solid start.

He can remain a vital, important and valuable contributor to our sport. He is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who made a serious mistake that hopefully will not characterize the rest of his life, or the rest of his career.

Kyle Larson is not evil, and he is not a bad guy. He messed up Sunday, making a colossal mess that will take some time to clean up. But we all mess-up from time to time, in one way or another. The key is to learn from our mistakes, and not make the same one twice.

There is opportunity here for both learning and growth; for both Larson and the sport. His road back will not be easy. It will require him to humble himself and do some soul-searching, to determine where that ugly word came from, and how it slipped so easily from his lips.

But let’s be clear about one thing. This week’s controversy has nothing to do with political correctness and nothing to do with Free Speech. It has everything to do with treating your fellow human beings with dignity and respect. 

Intentionally saying things to people that you know to be hurtful and inflammatory does not make you a champion of free speech. It makes you a bully and a boor.

To those who appeared so angrily on social media yesterday, I’m truly sorry that you feel deprived of your perceived Constitutional right to utter racial slurs with impunity. 

I’m sorry you find it unfair that African Americans say a word to each other that we Caucasians are not allowed to use. 

I’m sorry that you have somehow de-evolved to a place where decrying racial slurs makes someone a snowflake. 

I can’t help you with any of those issues, but I know where the answer lies.

It’s right there, in your mirror. Examine it (or not) at your leisure.

COMMENTARY: And Now, The 6,000-Pound Elephant in the Room

UPDATE (Monday 4/13/20, 10:10 AM ET): NASCAR has issued a statement, saying the sanctioning body “is aware of insensitive language used by a driver during an iRacing event on Sunday, and is currently gathering more information.”

UPDATE 2 (Monday 4/13/20, 10:40 AM ET): Statement from Chip Ganassi Racing -- “We are extremely disappointed by what Kyle said last night during an iRacing event. The words that he chose to use are offensive and unacceptable. As of this moment we are suspending Kyle without pay while we work through this situation with all appropriate parties.”

UPDATE 3 (Monday 4/13/20, 11:40 AM ET): Larson has been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR and will be required to attend sensitivity training. In a written statement, the sanctioning body said, "NASCAR has made diversity and inclusion a priority and will not tolerate the type of language used by Kyle Larson during Sunday’s iRacing event. Our Member Conduct Guidelines are clear in this regard, and we will enforce these guidelines to maintain an inclusive environment for our entire industry and fan base." 

UPDATE 4 (Monday 4/13/20, 12:30 PM ET): Larson has issued a video apology, saying, "I just want to say I'm sorry. Last night, I made a mistake and said a word that should never, ever be said and there's no excuse for that. I wasn't raised that way and 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. I understand the damage is probably unrepairable and I own up to that. I just want let you all to know how sorry I am and I hope everybody is staying safe during these crazy times."

Apparently, Kyle Larson uttered the N-word last night as part of an iRacing event at the legendary Monza race course, triggering the kind of social-media explosion that just about anything controversial creates these days.

On Monday morning, as this commentary glows on the computer monitor, there has been no public comment or confirmation from either Larson or NASCAR on the topic. That almost certainly will come, but it hasn’t yet.

Thus, it is both fair and prudent to use the word “allegedly,” when discussing what Larson apparently said last night, and what – if anything – should happen next.

It’s possible – though admittedly unlikely – that with 60-odd drivers competing and communicating in last night’s iRacing event, that Larson did not, in fact, make the comments attributed to him. It certainly sounded like Kyle, and the lack of an immediate, outright denial from his camp would seem to indicate that it was indeed him.

But fair is fair, and Larson deserves the right to state his case and explain himself, to whatever degree is possible in cases like this.

Last night’s incident, if true, is not unprecedented. In 2013, Xfinity Series driver Jeremy Clements used the same word Larson is accused of using in a Speedweeks conversation with a reporter at Daytona International Speedway. Like Larson, Clements did not use the word in a directly malicious or demeaning manner. But like Larson, Clements faced almost immediate social media backlash. Within hours of the story coming to light, he was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for making “an intolerable and insensitive remark'' in violation of the sanctioning body’s Code of Conduct.

Larson is on the hotseat

Clements immediately admitted his gaffe, provided context (for what it was worth) and apologized profusely.

While damaging, the incident did not end Clements’ NASCAR career. He continues to race in the Xfinity Series, and is a well-respected competitor among his peers. Unlike Larson, however, Clements drives for his own, family-owned race team, with minimal national sponsorship.

Larson competes for one of the top teams in the sport, Chip Ganassi Racing, with financial backing from major corporations like McDonalds, Credit One Bank and Advent Health. How that team and those sponsors will react to his alleged comments remains to be seen at this hour.

 But clearly, this situation is neither simple nor advantageous to any of the involved parties.

Last night’s alleged comment obviously does little to dispel the stereotypical view still held by some observers of our sport. To some, NASCAR is little more than a group of rowdy rednecks driving in circles on Sunday afternoons, beneath a backdrop of Confederate flags that while fewer in number in recent years, are still too easy to find.

It is especially ironic that this controversy involves Larson, the product of Japanese and American parentage and a graduate of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program. He may not have been the last person we expected to hear utter that word, but he’s pretty near the bottom of the list.

Larson is in the final year of his current driving contract with CGR, and is considered to be one of the hottest free-agent properties in the sport. Whether that changes or not remains to be seen, but there is plenty of precedent out there in the world of sports for transgressions like this one (and worse) to be forgiven, based on an individual’s ability to run a 4-4 40, slam dunk a basketball or break multiple tackles on his way to the end zone.

Clements was reinstated by NASCAR just two weeks after his suspension, after completing racial sensitivity counseling mandated by the sanctioning body. It is not hard to imagine a similar outcome for Larson, if he proves as amenable to doing so as Clements was. Tougher to gauge will be the reaction of his race team and his sponsors, who certainly don’t need any negative publicity these days, combined with the current financial and business challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hopefully, Larson will soon come forward with a full explanation of what happened last night, and if appropriate, an apology. That is Step One on the road to redemption, and it can’t happen a moment too soon. 

Hopefully, a few weeks down the line, we can all look back at this situation as a learning experience; an opportunity to understand more clearly that there are certain words that simply cannot be used anymore, regardless of intent or context.