MOORESVILLE, N.C. — To put Kyle Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series season in perspective, it’s a season for the ages that nearly didn’t happen.
Larson’s story has been well-documented. During the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, Larson uttered a racial slur during a sim race that was livestreamed.
Chevrolet and sponsors McDonald’s, Advent Health, Credit One and Clover, the parent company of First Data, fired the driver leaving team owner Chip Ganassi with no choice but to terminate the rising star. NASCAR also suspended the driver indefinitely and ordered him to take sensitivity training before he could be reinstated at the appropriate time.
As a result, Larson returned to his roots and won 42 features in 83 open-wheel starts last season.
Larson took incredible steps in rehabilitating himself on a social level, including posting an essay on his website apologizing for his transgressions. He finished his sensitivity training and visited Minnesota days after George Floyd was killed and participated in a variety of classes with the African American community.
Ganassi kept in touch with Larson, offered him his support and urged him to save his career.
Larson applied for reinstatement with NASCAR and on Oct. 20, the sanctioning body reinstated Larson’s competitive privileges effective January 1, 2021.
Eight days later, Hendrick Motorsports signed Larson to a multi-year contract to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet beginning in 2021. Hendrick self-sponsored the car through HendrickCar.com and Nations Guard. Hendrick also allowed Larson to continue racing on dirt.
Larson’s comeback story was about to kick into high gear. He drove to victory in his fourth race of the season, taking the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He became the most dominant driver the NASCAR Cup Series with nine victories entering Sunday’s Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway.
It’s been a surreal experience for Larson.
“If I were to go back and think about it, there were a lot of points last year where I didn’t think I would get to race in another NASCAR Cup Series race or stock car race in my life,” Larson said. “I accepted it and moved on and was excited about a life as a sprint car racer because that is something I always wanted to do, just not at 28 years old.
“Not even a year later, to see the success I’ve had in the Cup Series and now racing for a championship is surreal, but it’s not something I’ve thought of too often.”
A trip back to his racing roots is how Larson helped rediscover himself, while also establishing a new fan base.
“I think my fan base has grown a lot with all the winning I did last year and then coming back to NASCAR,” Larson said. “That is something that has made me happy.
“At the dirt races and even here, I’ve had a lot of fans tell me, I’m the reason they are watching again. That makes me feel special that I’m doing something good for our sport of NASCAR. I hope to continue to help grow it.”
The dirt-track fans look at Larson as “one of them.” He’s a racer’s racer who will drive any type of car on any track.
“Even if I was just racing NASCAR every weekend, I’d still be one of whoever,” Larson told SPEED SPORT. “I’m no different than any normal person. I’m out there doing something I love and if they want to follow it, that’s awesome.”
Larson faced heavy scrutiny upon his return to action, but it didn’t take long for the fans to recognize his effort in overcoming the self-inflicted adversity.
“It’s been cool and my fan base has grown a lot, especially with all of the winning I did last year and then coming back to NASCAR,” Larson explained. “I’ve had a few races where the cheering is more than Chase Elliott (NASCAR’s most popular driver) and that is something that has made me very happy.”
Larson joins Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott along with the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Denny Hamlin and former Cup champion Martin Truex, Jr. in the “Championship Four” that will fight it out for the title Sunday at Phoenix.
Hamlin had said it would have been a crime if Larson had not advanced to the championship race earlier this season. Nobody knows that better than Elliott, the defending Cup champion, who welcomed his new teammate to Hendrick Motorsports earlier this year.
“We’ve been distant teammates through our partnership with Chevrolet,” Elliott said. “Ganassi has a partnership with HMS and gets they have Hendrick engines. We’ve been in enough meetings and together enough that I already knew Kyle and his approach. I’m not sure I was super surprised by any of what Kyle has done this season.
“I feel like there is no one here that didn’t think Kyle was a great race car driver, so I don’t think anyone ever doubted that. I don’t think I was any different than anyone else. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Kyle. We came up racing against each other in different series. I’ve always respected him and his craft as a driver and I’ve always thought highly of him.”