Odds Heavily Against Kyle Larson Racing in NASCAR Over Next 2 Years After Using Racial Slur
- Kyle Larson used the N-word during an iRacing event and has since been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR
- Larson was also fired by Chip Ganassi racing as a result of his inappropriate comments
- Larson will eventually get another shot but it’s hard to see that happening in the 2020 or 2021 seasons
Kyle Larson spewed a racial slur during an eNASCAR event and has subsequently been fired from NASCAR. He was (and still is) a young, talented driver who had his full career ahead of him. Many people get second chances but will Kyle Larson earn one? Let’s examine a prop that focuses on if he’ll ever earn an invite back.
Kyle Larson NASCAR Odds
| Will Kyle Larson Race Again In NASCAR Monster Energy Series In 2020 or 2021? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | +350 |
| No | -600 |
Odds taken May 4.
Larson Fired for Saying N-Word During Virtual Race
With all major sports on hiatus – including NASCAR – the racing circuit decided to move into esports and launch a series of virtual racing events. Larson was one of the pro drivers that competed in the races along with esports professionals but during one of the broadcasts, he randomly dropped the N-word.
Matt Kenseth comes out of retirement to replace Kyle Larson https://t.co/rdPmPqL8Wv pic.twitter.com/ws52vb5pQq
— Actual News Network (@annplus_) April 27, 2020
It’s unclear why he did but at any rate, it was heard all over the live stream/broadcast and the news quickly became viral. Chip Ganassi racing moved fast to fire the 27-year-old as they felt the comments were “offensive and unacceptable”. There’s no question that they were and there was no reason to use it.
Larson Had Been a Rising Star
What’s so disappointing in all of this is that Larson was one of the sport’s young, rising stars. In the middle of his eighth season in the sport, Larson was seventh in the standings – including one Top 5 and three Top 10’s in four starts. He’s finished in the Top 10 of the final standings in four straight seasons.
https://twitter.com/NRFyoutube/status/1254799761628110849
Beyond that, Larson was going to be a free agent at the end of the year. Given how he’s incrementally improved, many expected him to be one of the most sought-after free agents. Instead, he’s now out of the sport and many are left wondering if he’ll ever get another shot.
Will Larson Get Another Chance?
Following the incident, Larson has sent out a heartfelt apology. On top of that, Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver on the NASCAR circuit, has come out in support of Larson, suggesting that he deserves a second chance.
Technically speaking, Larson was fired from his team but is currently suspended indefinitely by NASCAR. The first step to a possible return would be for NASCAR to lift the suspension and only then will we know if any team has any interest in signing his services.
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) April 16, 2020
At this point, I would bet that Larson is back in the sport within two years. The word that he said should be tossed from his vocabulary but at the very least, he didn’t use it in a malevolent way. In other words, he didn’t see a black person and then use the word to describe them. In that situation, I would expect him to be banned for life.
Given the current circumstances, I think the punishment so far fits the crime (getting fired and a long suspension) but he’ll probably get another shot from someone. He’ll take a year to a year and a half off but he’ll eventually get a call to get back in action.
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) April 13, 2020
The challenge with this prop is it only gives him one offseason to get a job. He won’t race in 2020 – that’s for sure. I think it’s still probably too early for him to get a job this offseason but I would guess that after the 2021 season is when he’ll first start getting calls.
If this prop gave us a date of two calendar years, I’d bet that he’s back by then. Given that this gives us two seasons (or more just a season and a half), I’d side with the big chalk here and not expect him to race in either 2020 or 2021.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
