Kyle Larson earned his first NASCAR race win since his suspension. Following his victory at Sunday’s Penzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, racers Bubba Wallace and Brad Keselowski were waiting at the lane to congratulate him for his victory.
Larson was suspended for the remainder of the 2020 season after saying a racial slur during an online event in April of 2020. In addition to a suspension, he was fired from Chip Ganassi Racing. According to the Associated Press, Rick Hendrick took on the driver when no other team would. Larson was reinstated back in October, but was told to attend sensitivity training.
After almost a full year out of the sports, it took Larson just four races in 2021 to return to Victory Lane.
Wallace was one of the people who Larson reached out to after saying the slur word. However, Wallace believed in giving second chances and said, “I am not mad at him, and I believe that he, along with most people, deserve second chances and deserve space to improve.”
Following Larson’s victory, Wallace tweeted, “Proud and happy for @KyleLarsonRacin. Told him way to keep his head thru it all! We all knew it was a matter of time… Nice dub young money.”
When NASCAR suspended the 28-year-old for the rest of the 2020 season, Larson took the time to learn and reflect on his actions. “Since April, I’ve done a lot of reflecting, and I realized how little I really knew about the African-American experience in this country and racism in general,” he said. “Educating myself is something I should’ve done a long time ago because it would’ve made me a better person – the kind of person who doesn’t casually throw around an awful, racist word. The kind who makes an effort to understand the hate and oppression it symbolizes and the depth of pain it has caused Black people throughout history and still to this day.”
Larson was touched when Wallace came to congratulate him. “He’s always believed in me, so that was special,” Larson said. He was also humbled when Keselowski congratulated him for his victory. “That was really special to see Brad walking across the infield to come to congratulate me, then waiting while I completed my interviews and things,” the driver said.
The runner-up, Keselowski, said of Larson’s victory, “I think everybody loves a good redemption story.” Keselowski added, “We’ve all been kind of pulling for him.”
