In his first TV interview with CBS This Morning since his NASCAR suspension, Kyle Larson addressed the use of racial slur and a potential comeback.
Earlier this month, Larson wrote a length open letter titled “Kyle Larson: My Lessons Learned” in which he elaborated about his learning since NASCAR suspension in April for the use of a racial slur in an iRacing event.
Speaking to CBS’s James Brown, Larson said:
“I know deep down, I am not a racist. I said a racist word, and I can fully understand people would label me as a racist.”
For the first time, we're hearing from @NASCAR driver Kyle Larson after he was fired in April for using a racial slur during a virtual racing event.
In his first TV interview, he spoke to @JBsportscaster about race in America and why he's hoping for a second chance. pic.twitter.com/zOXoVTU8J8
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) October 16, 2020
The former Chip Ganassi Racing driver tried to justify his use of the n-word.
“I had raced with him (his iRacing spotter) in Australia and the group that we were with kind of uses the word..casually as greeting. I didn’t use it in a way to degrade or insult anyone.”
Speaking about the changes he has had, Larson said that he has ” definitely grown more over these last six months, than the 28 years I’ve been alive.”
Larson also sheds some light on the possible comeback.
“I don’t think it would be too steep of a price to pay. You know, what I said was extremely hurtful, and I would fully understand if I was never allowed to race in another NASCAR race again. But I hope that I will get that opportunity with them. With that platform, I feel like I can do some good things.”
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