NASCAR driver Kyle Larson was fired from Chip Ganassi Racing on Tuesday after he used a racial slur during a virtual race two days earlier. Larson did apologize for his actions, but some people aren't buying it, including New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Just hours before Larson was fired, Stroman wrote on Twitter that Larson's apology for using the racial slur "doesn't matter." The pitcher then challenged the NASCAR driver to an MMA fight because Larson "needs his ass beat."
The Mets pitcher added that he doesn't believe Larson should ever be allowed to race again in NASCAR.
During the Twitch livestream of the virtual race, Larson lost communication on his headset with his spotter at one point, and during a microphone check moments later said "You can't hear me?," which was followed by the N-word. Video of the exchange was captured and uploaded to YouTube (Warning: Graphic language.)
NASCAR suspended Larson indefinitely without pay on Monday prior to Chip Ganassi Racing electing to fire him.
"NASCAR has made diversity and inclusion a priority and will not tolerate the type of language used by Kyle Larson during Sunday's iRacing event," NASCAR said in a statement on Monday. "Our Member Conduct Guidelines are clear in this regard, and we will enforce these guidelines to maintain an inclusive environment for our entire industry and fan base."
Larson has also been dropped by three major sponsors, Chevrolet, McDonald's and Capital One Bank, in wake of his comments. The driver took to Twitter on Monday and issued a video apology for his offensive comments.
"I just want to say I'm sorry," Larson said. "Last night, I made a mistake and said the word that should never ever be said. There's no excuse for that. I wasn't raised that way. That's just an awful thing to say. I feel very sorry for my family, friends, partners, NASCAR community, and especially the African American community."