When Kyle Larson lost his Chip Ganassi Racing drive and was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for using a racial slur on an iRacing broadcast, it set in motion a chain of events that led to one of the series' most popular drivers receiving a shock call-up to drive CGR's No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro.
Having been pushed aside by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 to make space for development driver Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth entered 15 Cup races in 2018 for his previous employers Roush Fenway Racing - the team with which he won the 2003 Cup series championship and scored both of his Daytona 500 victories in 2009 and 2012 - but hasn't competed since.
But Larson's error of judgement created a window of opportunity that nobody, least of all 48-year-old Kenseth, could have foreseen.