Kyle Larson has been released by Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series after Sunday’s incident on iRacing in which Larson used a racial slur.
In a statement tweeted out by the team Tuesday morning, CGR outlined its reasoning for parting ways with the driver.
“After much consideration, Chip Ganassi Racing has determined that it will end its relationship with driver Kyle Larson,” the statement read. “As we said before, the comments that Kyle made were both offensive and unacceptable especially given the values of our organization.
“As we continue to evaluate the situation with all the relevant parties, it became obvious that this was the only appropriate course of action to take.”
Statement regarding Kyle Larson: pic.twitter.com/5Q06Dhst8V
— Chip Ganassi Racing (@CGRTeams) April 14, 2020
The partnership was terminated as a part of the fallout from the incident, on the heels of the team indefinitely suspending Larson and the NASCAR sanctioning body doing the same.
Larson has won six races with the team in Cup competition, the most recent at Dover International Speedway in fall 2019. Since his rookie season in Cup in 2014, he has compiled 56 top-five finishes, 101 top 10s and eight poles.
He also scored nine wins with the team in the Xfinity Series, all coming at different tracks.
In addition to the original suspensions, Chevrolet put its relationship with the driver on hold. Additionally, sponsors Credit One Bank and McDonald’s terminated their associations with Larson.
Larson has not yet made a statement regarding his release from CGR.
No information has yet been released on Larson’s potential replacement.
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Adam Cheek joined Frontstretch as a contributing writer in January 2019. A 2020 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, he covered sports there and later spent a year and a half as a sports host on 910 the Fan in Richmond, VA. He's freelanced for Richmond Magazine and the Richmond Times-Dispatch and also hosts the Adam Cheek's Sports Week podcast. Adam has followed racing since the age of three, inheriting the passion from his grandfather, who raced in amateur events up and down the East Coast in the 1950s.