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.