Kyle Larson Faces Backlash From Social Media Following Apology for Racial Slur

Sunday evening, NASCAR driver Kyle Larson used a racial slur during an “iRacing” virtual race. He was heard using the N-word while trying to contact someone. The moment created an uproar on social media and resulted in Larson being suspended by both NASCAR and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Larson released an apology on Monday morning, shortly after his suspensions were announced. He recorded a video and posted it on Twitter, saying that he “wasn’t raised this way.” Additionally, Larson said that he had “made a mistake” and that the word should never, ever be used. He apologized to his family, friends, partners, the NASCAR community, and the African American community.

Following this apology surfacing on social media, Larson’s mentions were filled with comments. There were some Twitter users that showed support following the release of his video. The vocal majority, however, had very different responses.

There was a multitude of responses focused on the authenticity of Larson’s apology, as well as his future in NASCAR. In the opinions of several Twitter users, Larson is used to incorporating this slur into his daily conversation. They reiterated this opinion on Monday morning and into the afternoon while discussing the apology video.

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Now that Larson has apologized for using the racial slur, there are users on Twitter wondering what will happen to his career. He has already been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR and Chip Ganassi Racing. Will his sponsors also part ways with him? Two of his top partners are Credit One Bank and McDonald’s.

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Following Larson’s use of the racial slur and his subsequent apology, there were many comments about “the ease” with which he dropped the term. In the opinion of some Twitter users, Larson didn’t appear to struggle with saying the N-word. One person said that the driver “must use it in everyday life.”

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There were some Twitter users that wanted to ask Larson questions about his apology and previous use of the racial slur. Specifically, one asked why this word would be used as a test for whether or not his spotter could hear him over the voice chat. Another said, “That came out way too easily last night.”

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When Larson apologized for the racial slur, there were many responses. Some simply said that he didn’t “feel regret” while others accepted his apology. Some Twitter users, however, searched through his timeline in an effort to find past examples. This included a tweet from 2018 in which Larson referenced NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

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Was this apology genuine? The opinions were split on Monday morning. There were several users on social media that felt that Larson was truly sorry for what he had said during the race on Easter Sunday. Others were far less convinced and didn’t believe that he showed any regret.

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There were several fans that weighed in on social media in response to Larson’s apology. Some were ready to forgive him while others were not convinced that his apology was real. There were some comments about how he still said the word despite “not being raised that way.” In their opinion, both statements couldn’t be true.

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Larson faced a considerable amount of criticism on Monday after he released the apology video. Several Twitter users said that this was simply a “fake message” while others said that he likely uses the slur in daily conversation. Some people, however, just wanted to know why he opted for the N-word instead of something else.