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NASCAR Confirms Talks With Kyle Larson on Reinstatement Terms and Procedure, Tony Stewart Backs Larson

Published 08/20/2020, 1:05 AM EDT

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Kyle Larson had recently expressed his intention of making a return to NASCAR, given the opportunity. On Wednesday, NASCAR officials said that they have discussed reinstatement with Larson after the driver himself requested talks on the same.

Larson has not ‘formally requested’ reinstatement yet, NASCAR reportedly said. However, the terms and procedures of Kyle Larson’s reinstatement have been discussed with the ousted driver.

2020 has been a topsy-turvy year for many, and more so for Kyle Larson. Back in April, Larson was fired from his No. 42 team at Chip Ganassi Racing and from the league for using a racial slur during an iRacing event.

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He was indefinitely suspended and lost his sponsorships as well.

Kyle Larson eager to make NASCAR return

During his NASCAR suspension, Larson participated in sprint car events and performed very well. But the 28-year-old believes NASCAR is where he truly wants to be. Larson said that he has learned from his mistakes and is keen on improving.

“I made a mistake and I’m paying for it and I accept that,” Larson said in an interview to AP. “NASCAR is where I always wanted to be and I do believe I proved I can compete at the Cup level. I’d like to get back there and we’ll see if there’s a way.”

After that, he said, “I was just ignorant. And immature. I didn’t understand the negativity and hurt that comes with that word. That’s not a word that I had ever used. I grew up in Northern California, all I ever did was race and that’s all I was focused on.

“There’s probably a lot of real-life experiences I didn’t get to have and I was just ignorant to how hurtful that word is,” Larson explained.

Tony Stewart’s interest in Larson

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Recently, many reports suggest that NASCAR legend and current team owner Tony Stewart is closely watching Larson’s performances.

In addition, Stewart added fuel to that fire and said that it is high time that NASCAR allows Larson back into the fold.

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NASCAR has gotta get off their a** and do the right thing and give this kid an opportunity to get back in a car,” Stewart said in a recent interview.

“I think he’s paid his penalty and he’s served the penalty long enough where you know we’ve had similar instances in the sport that have happened and the penalties didn’t last as near as long as this has lasted with Kyle.”

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Written by:

Aayush Majumdar

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Aayush Majumdar is a NASCAR content strategist, a Tennis Writer, and a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. He is well-tenured as a tennis and NASCAR writer, with over 900 articles across both sports. After pursuing a Post Graduate program in Sports Management, Aayush explored various roles in Sports Media, including a Sports Reporting role at a leading English daily.
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