Why NASCAR needs to rehabilitate its fallen star

As much as humanity likes to think that modern society has created an all-inclusive environment, the salient truth is that -isms of every conceivable kind not only exist, but are depressingly prevalent.

In motorsport, one does not discuss the implications of racism as much as in other sports, but that may be down to the overall lack of diversity rather than a greater level of education within.

Over a decade ago, a quartet of Spanish attendees to Formula 1's pre-season testing at the Barcelona circuit had 'blacked up', wearing t-shirts emblazoned with "Hamilton's familly [sic]" on the front. Thankfully, this has been a very isolated incident, and while motorsport has undoubtedly experienced the effects of racism since, cases have been thankfully sparse.

But during a NASCAR iRacing event on Sunday, NASCAR Cup racer Kyle Larson irreparably opened his mouth in the public chat feed. Attempting to determine whether the rest of the racers involved in the race could hear him speak, Larson gratuitously used the n-word.

In a racing event aiming to be fun and provide both drivers and spectators with respite from the current coronavirus pandemic, that word cut through the atmosphere like a smashed vase, ringing in the ears of everyone tuning in.

Although reactions varied wildly on differing streams, NASCAR Xfinity Series racer Anthony Alfredo was first to break the public feed's shocked silence with "Kyle, you're talking to everyone, bud". Everyone had, indeed, heard Larson speak.

In that split second, there were two distressingly alarming things. Firstly: that the n-word was used at all, and secondly: that Larson used it so offhandedly. A third distressingly alarming situation arrived later in the aftermath, in which a multitude of people felt that Larson's later apology was sufficient penance for his actions, as if he had just dropped an F-bomb on a Saturday morning cooking show.

Ultimately, a word is just a set of frequencies and amplitudes, but those frequencies and amplitudes create something that is symbolic of something else. While shouting "fuck" at a lamb shank might be sufficiently alleviated with an apology, using a word with centuries of negative connotations - particularly in the United States - is far less forgivable.

As much as cancel culture would seek to wipe Larson's image off the face of the planet, people should be granted an opportunity to change and grow

It represents a time during which black people were exploited, denigrated and segregated from the white-supremacist ruling classes. Words have weight and meaning - and therefore, their usage should carry consequences equal to that weight.

Immediately, Larson was dropped by Chevrolet, while sponsors First Data, McDonald's and Credit One also terminated their sponsorship - it would be PR suicide to be associated with a driver who had used the n-word, and rightly so.

NASCAR, too, has indefinitely suspended Larson from future events - although that punishment is somewhat moot in the current climate given the pandemic-prompted pause on real racing for the time being. Chip Ganassi Racing had also suspended Larson without pay, but ultimately elected to release him feeling that it was "the only appropriate course of action".

What happens next?

Larson will be required to go to "sensitivity training" to understand the ramifications of his actions, an ironic turn of events given that he appeared on NASCAR's "Drive for Diversity" scheme owing to his Japanese heritage.

After that, NASCAR may consider him rehabilitated, and he may be free to find another drive in the series. That could be the end of the matter, but it would smack of attempting to sweep matters under the carpet.

However, Larson losing an entire career without being granted a second chance to prove that his social sensibilities have changed would also be unfair. As much as cancel culture would seek to wipe Larson's image off the face of the planet, people should be granted an opportunity to change and grow.

So there needs to be a middle-ground, and one in which NASCAR can address its associated cultural 'issues' and denounce racism in every realm possible, rehabilitate Larson, and hang onto one of its star drivers who, notwithstanding, is a gifted racer.

Something that NASCAR has done, to its absolute credit, is draw a very heavy line in the sand and underline that any racial slurs used by those who represent the series will be punished.

In 2013, second-tier driver Jeremy Clements (pictured below) used the same word and was, under NASCAR's Code of Conduct, benched for two races. Clements has since returned to the series, having also completed the sensitivity training course.

But should greater punishments be applicable as a much heavier deterrent - or should NASCAR's point of view continue to follow the path of education rather than humiliation?

It's hard to accurately suggest what the adequate length of time on the sidelines would be a befitting punishment for Larson; two races does seem to lack the requisite severity, regardless of education courses.

Looking at other sports may offer some ideas; in 2011, then-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was hit with an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. Sure, £40k is probably chicken-feed to a footballer, but the ban will certainly have hurt Suarez - and rightly so.

In recent months, Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has received the same length of time out for a racial slur directed at Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko, albeit with a £60k fine this time. Given football matches occur with the same regularity as NASCAR rounds, perhaps eight races out would be punishment of a similar magnitude for Larson.

But NASCAR can use this opportunity to not only change the attitude of Larson, but also the attitudes of others. With 3.4 million followers on Twitter for a racing category that is hardly as multinational as series like F1 (4.4m) or MotoGP (2.6m), NASCAR has a lot of reach in America.

Racing drivers are employed at great expense not only to drive, but to be role models; if people begin to copy Larson's language then that has the potential to snowball and allow people to feel that racial insensitivity is acceptable

According to the Pew Research Centre, 65% of American citizens feel that since Donald Trump became president it has become more commonplace for people to express "racist or racially insensitive views". Given that his election campaign frequently featured exclusionary tactics, it has created a small cultural shift which has also yielded a greater platform to those views.

The culmination of this is that regular people then begin to buy into those prejudices, and hence feel empowered to casually toss slurs and offensive phrases about without any real regard for their meaning or context. And if motorsport is to be truly inclusive for people of every background, those are not only views that should be abhorred within its inner circle, it should seek to radiate a message of inclusivity.

As mentioned previously, NASCAR has attempted to do so with its "Drive for Diversity" program - which Larson has been part of previously, as has fellow Cup racer Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr (pictured together in a Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway in 2014, below) - but has ultimately yielded limited success.

For all parties, it may be prudent to ensure that Larson is involved with the current "Drive for Diversity" crop of talent to increase the span of its message.

It might be jarring to view someone who publicly used a racist term to become involved with a scheme designed to create a more inclusive environment, but if a situation can be engineered in which a negative becomes a positive for NASCAR's social impact, then it will present both parties in a more favourable light.

If NASCAR can use its reach to reduce the 65% figure which feels that racism has become more prevalent in the US, then it has had a positive impact.

Allowing Larson to escape with a ban and a fine will hurt the driver's pride, but it will not erase any possible damage. Racing drivers are employed at great expense not only to drive, but to be role models; if people begin to copy Larson's language then that has the potential to snowball and allow people to feel that racial insensitivity is acceptable.

As a public figure, his words hold weight - and he needs to be wise to the consequences of that.

One thing that's clear is that Larson is one of the most impressive talents on the NASCAR Cup circuit, one that the series can ill-afford to lose. But his choice to use racist language is one that will burden him throughout the rest of his career, if he can rescue it, and he must live with that. But to be truly remorseful, an apology simply won't cut it - and for many, nothing will.

Either way, Larson must pay his penance with actions, preferably those that curb incidents like these from ever happening again.