NASCAR indefinitely suspends Kyle Larson after he used racial slur during stream of virtual race

Driver Kyle Larson was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR Monday for using a racial slur during the livestream broadcast of a virtual exhibition race on Sunday night. 

Larson, of Chip Ganassi Racing in NASCAR's Cup Series, was competing in an iRacing event when he seemed to lose communication on his headset with his spotter. During the microphone check, Larson could be heard saying the slur. "You can't hear me?" he said on the livestream. "Hey, (expletive)." 

“Kyle, you’re talking to everyone, bud," one driver replied. Another person said, "No way did that just happen." 

Larson was first suspended without pay Monday morning by Chip Ganassi Racing, which called the called his words "offensive and unacceptable," before NASCAR also weighed in with its own punishment for violating its Member Conduct Guidelines. The 27-year-old was also ordered to attend sensitivity training.

“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," the NASCAR statement said. "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.”

iRacing also suspended Larson indefinitely Monday for “offensive and inappropriate” language, and the driver could face short- and long-term sponsorship ramifications.

Larson issued an apology on Twitter on Monday, saying he was sorry, "especially (for) the African American community" and "understands the damage is probably irreparable."

Larson's radio communication was broadcast to followers on Twitch, a gaming app, as well as to eNASCAR.com viewers. The other 61 drivers in the race were also on the virtual race session, which was not part of a NASCAR officially sanctioned event. 

Shortly after the slur, users on the radio chat responded in disbelief and it didn't take long for a replay of the incident to show up on social media. 

Larson is half Japanese and is the only driver of Japanese descent to win a major NASCAR race. Through six full seasons as a full-time Cup Series driver, Larson has earned six wins and 101 top-10 finishes.

OPINION:Larson must now deal with consequences of using a racist slur

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He climbed from short-track racing into NASCAR's upper echelon through its “Drive for Diversity” program and is considered one of the top sprint car racers in the country. In January, he finally won the prestigious Chili Bowl after 13 attempts.

Larson, who drives for Chevrolet, is in the final year of his contract with Chip Ganassi Racing. His sponsors at Ganassi are McDonald's and Credit One Bank.

Credit One Bank denounced Larson’s “highly offensive language” early Monday afternoon and said it supports the “quick actions” by NASCAR and Larson’s team. By Monday evening, the bank announced it was terminating its sponsorship of Larson.

McDonald's announced Monday evening that the company was taking immediate action to terminate its relationship with Larson.

"We were extremely disappointed and appalled to hear about this incident," the statement from McDonald's said. "The comments made by Kyle Larson are insensitive, offensive and not reflective of our inclusive values and will not be tolerated.

Neither company expressly indicated that it was ending its relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing, however, so the option remains for ether company to sponsor another driver/car on the team.

Chevrolet also suspended its personal services relationship with Larson “as we do not tolerate this behavior.”

NASCAR iRacing has become a mainstay for sports fans with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down sports, drawing record esports television views. Drivers typically can link into another live stream to banter and make jokes. Fans can eavesdrop on that platform through Twitch. Sunday's exhibition event was tabbed, "Monza Madness." The event simulated at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy.

It's the second week in a row that a NASCAR driver has drawn scrutiny while racers use the online platform to entertain fans. Last week, Bubba Wallace “rage quit” an official NASCAR iRacing event televised live nationally and his sponsor dropped him immediately. 

Contributing: The Associated Press.