Kyle Larson had been apparently the hottest free agent on the NASCAR Cup Series driver market for the 2021 season before he was terminated. Presently he is formally back.
Kyle Larson entered the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season as one of four drivers who had driven for only one group on a full-time reason for in any event six seasons. He was in his seventh season driving the #42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing before he was terminated after various supporters cut binds with him for utilizing the N-word.
Like two of the other three drivers in the present circumstance, Larson’s agreement was set to end after the 2020 season at any rate.
The other two drivers who entered the year in this position were Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson, who resigned after the 2020 season, and Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin had been under agreement through 2021, and he has since marked an extension.
The 28-year-old Elk Grove, California local had generally been viewed as the top free specialist available for the 2021 season, a title that was strengthened when Ryan Blaney re-increased his arrangement with Team Penske for a few additional years last March.
Notwithstanding the kickback he got after his episode, there was never an assurance that he wouldn’t be back in NASCAR sooner or later. In the wake of applying for restoration and rapidly being reestablished by NASCAR, he wound up back on the list of “top free agents” following a while of individual development following his episode, and it didn’t take long for his name to be checked off that rundown.
He wound up signing a multi-year deal to drive for Hendrick Motorsports as Johnson’s substitution in the group’s driver setup, something that had been reputed some time before his terminating.
However, he is set to steer the #5 Chevrolet, as Alex Bowman moved from the #88 Chevrolet to Johnson’s #48 Chevrolet and the #88 Chevrolet was renumbered to the #5 Chevrolet, a number which the group hadn’t utilized since Kasey Kahne drove it in 2017.
Prior to his terminating, many accepted that Larson would stay faithful to Ganassi, who permitted him to keep up his soil dashing timetable during his residency with the group, and sign an expansion. Larson expressed on numerous occasions that this was his need.
However, after the occurrence, a get back with Chip Ganassi Racing was never achievable for 2021, given the way that it was the crossing out of a few critical sponsorship manages Chip Ganassi’s accomplices that eventually prompted his terminating.
Ross Chastain is set to supplant Matt Kenseth, who swapped Larson for the remainder of the 2020 season, in the driver’s seat of the #42 Chevrolet this year.
Larson had additionally since quite a while ago been viewed as a potential Stewart-Haas Racing driver, as group co-proprietor Tony Stewart expressed back in 2015 that he needed Larson to supplant him after he resigned following the 2016 season. Lamentably, because of his authoritative status with Chip Ganassi Racing at that point, Larson couldn’t sign an arrangement with another group.
Stewart wound up putting Clint Bowyer in the driver’s seat of the #14 Ford in front of the 2017 season. Bowyer resigned after the 2020 season, checking five straight periods of driver changes for the group, yet the group named Chase Briscoe his substitution. Obviously, Stewart conceded that he needed to sign Larson, yet it simply was beyond the realm of imagination.
Presently Larson is officially back, and he is set to make a big appearance for Hendrick Motorsports in the 63rd yearly Daytona 500 this evening at Daytona International Speedway. This race is set to be broadcast live on Fox starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.