NASCAR driver suspended for racist insult during virtual race

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson was suspended indefinitely Monday by his body for uttering a racist word during a virtual race broadcast on the internet on Sunday. Larson, 27, who won six victories in the 2019 championship, was experiencing a sound problem with his headphones and called out to one of the technicians: "Can't you hear me anymore? Hey, ne ...? ”

"NASCAR has made diversity and inclusion a priority and will not tolerate the type of language used by Kyle Larson during Sunday's eRacing event," the agency said in a statement released on Monday. The driver's stable, Chip Ganassi Racing, announced that it had decided to withhold its salary, and the sponsors Credit One Bank and McDonald's quickly disengaged.

"Last night I made a mistake and said the word that should never, never be said. There is no excuse for this ”

Kyle Larson has apologized

The pilot, whose mother is of Japanese origin and who himself benefited from NASCAR inclusion programs to become one of his pilots, apologized. "I just want to say that I'm sorry," he said on Monday. "Last night I made a mistake and said the word that should never, never be said. There is no excuse for this . ” “I was not brought up that way. It is a horrible thing and I am sorry for my friends, my family, the Nascar community and especially for the African-American community , "he added.

Sunday, Larson participated in the “Monza Madness iRacing”, one of the virtual races organized during this coronavirus period in order to entertain fans and connect them with the pilots. During this live, just after he had uttered his racist word, another driver from the Xfinity team, Anthony Alfredo, called out to him: "Kyle, you talk to everyone, buddy".

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