Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, NASCAR’s only African American race car driver, said he thinks Kyle Larson deserves a second chance.
26-year-old Wallace says Larson called him on the phone immediately after using the slur Sunday night during an iRacing event that was publicly streamed on Twitch.
According to TMZ Sports, Wallace revealed that he initially ignored the calls, but he finally accepted a FaceTime from Larson the next day so that they could speak “face to face.”
Larson used the N-word during a competition in an iRacing event on Sunday when he appeared to lose communication with his spotter on his headset. During an equipment check, Larson said, “You can’t hear me?” Before using the racial slur.
Larson did issue an apology on Monday, admitting that there was “no excuse” for his comment, and also posted a video apology on his social media accounts. His three primary sponsors in the Cup Series ended their relationships with Larson later Monday, and, by Tuesday, Chip Ganassi Racing announced it had fired Larson, leaving him without a team to drive for.
Wallace said in a statement that Larson’s emotions and pride were shattered.
“We discussed why he chose to use that language, and I shared my thoughts. I told him, it was too easy for him to use the word, and he has to do better and get it out of his vocabulary,” Wallace said.
“There is no place for that word in this world. I am not mad at him, and I believe that he, along with most people, deserve second chances and deserve space to improve,” he continued.
Wallace also touched on the reasons why the word is so offensive and why it should not be used, especially in NASCAR.
“It’s NOT just a word. There is a ton of negative meaning behind the word. Doesn’t matter if a person uses it in an offensive way or not. The word brings many terrible memories for people and families and brings them back to a time that WE as a community and human race have tried our hardest to get away from,” he said.
He added that he’ll be working with Larson to “address diversity and inclusion in our sport,” as he revealed that that NASCAR has strict rules against using racist language for members.
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