Kyle Larson says he's thankful for second chance
Last year, driver Kyle Larson watched the NASCAR Cup Series Championship from afar.
This year, in one of the most dominant racing seasons seen in over a decade, he overtook his teammate and former winner Chase Elliott to claim the sport's ultimate prize.
After 312 laps at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, Larson secured the championship title to cap off a year-long pursuit to redeem himself on and off the track.
"That journey of last year, getting to this point, was difficult," Larson told CNN Sports.
"But then, all the success we had this year made it all rewarding and something that I can't believe. The last 18 months ... the lowest-lows to the highest-highs ... have been crazy."
In April 2020, Larson was suspended from NASCAR, losing both his sponsors and his ride with Chip Ganassi Racing after using the n-word during a virtual racing event.
Barred indefinitely for making the racial slur, Larson took intensive steps to educate himself. After six months, the racing governing body approved his application to be reinstated.
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, added Larson to his team following the reinstatement, and Larson went on to have his first win for the team at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
"I was accepting of the fact that I probably won't ever race in it again," the 29-year-old Larson explained. "I'm thankful that I did get that second chance and I was able to do good things through it."
Sensitivity training
During 2020, NASCAR required Larson to complete sensitivity training as a condition for reinstatement. He began working with Doug Harris, CEO of the Kaleidoscope Group, who served as his diversity coach.
Larson also worked alongside former four-time Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and retired pro soccer player Tony Sanneh, whose Minnesota-based foundation is focused on youth development and empowerment around the Twin Cities metro area.
"I've learned so much ever since that night, getting to talk to so many different African-Americans and learning their experiences.
"It just gives me a totally different perspective on life and what goes on in this world," he said.
Larson also spoke about his discussions with Black racers like Willy T. Ribbs and Bubba Wallace, who recently made history when he became the second Black driver to win NASCAR's Cup Series race.
"I'm glad that he, as well as so many people, were able to forgive me," Larson said of Wallace.
Japanese roots
Larson is the first driver of Asian descent to win a Cup Series Championship. His Japanese roots trace to his mother, whose parents, Larson says, were held in internment camps.
"It's definitely a great honor to be the first Asian-American to win a NASCAR Cup Series Championship."
"It's not something that I set out to accomplish in that way, but now that I have, I know that I hold a much bigger role in the Asian community," he said.
Larson is also a member of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity initiative, designed to increase inclusivity in the sport and in various industry roles. He is now one of the program's first graduates to make it into the NASCAR Cup Series.
"I've had a lot of success these last two years, and it almost feels like I'm in some sort of dream."
凯尔拉森说他感谢第二次机会
去年，车手凯尔·拉尔森 (Kyle Larson) 远远地观看了 NASCAR 杯系列锦标赛。
今年，在十多年来最具统治力的赛季之一，他超越了他的队友和前冠军蔡斯·埃利奥特 (Chase Elliott)，获得了这项运动的终极奖项。
在亚利桑那州埃文代尔的凤凰赛道跑了 312 圈后，拉尔森获得了冠军头衔，结束了长达一年的追求，以在赛道内外救赎自己。
“去年的那段旅程，走到这一步，很艰难，”拉森告诉 CNN Sports。
“但是，我们今年取得的所有成功都让这一切都变得有意义，这让我无法相信。过去 18 个月......从最低点到最高点......都太疯狂了。”
2020 年 4 月，拉尔森被 NASCAR 停赛，在一场虚拟赛车活动中使用 n 字后，他失去了赞助商和他与 Chip Ganassi Racing 的比赛。
拉尔森因制造种族诽谤而被无限期禁止，他采取了大量措施来教育自己。六个月后，赛车管理机构批准了他的恢复申请。
Hendrick Motorsports 的所有者里克·亨德里克 (Rick Hendrick) 在复职后将拉尔森加入他的团队，拉尔森继续在 3 月的拉斯维加斯赛车场上为车队赢得了他的第一场胜利。
“我接受了这样一个事实，我可能再也不会参加比赛了，”29 岁的拉森解释说。 “我很感激我确实得到了第二次机会，我能够通过它做一些好事。”
敏感性训练
2020 年，NASCAR 要求拉尔森完成敏感性训练，作为复职的条件。他开始与 Kaleidoscope Group 首席执行官 Doug Harris 合作，后者担任他的多元化教练。
Larson 还与前四届奥运会选手 Jackie Joyner-Kersee 和退役的职业足球运动员 Tony Sanneh 一起工作，后者位于明尼苏达州的基金会专注于双城都会区周围的青年发展和赋权。
“从那天晚上开始，我学到了很多东西，与这么多不同的非裔美国人交谈并了解他们的经历。
“它只是让我对生活和这个世界上发生的事情有了完全不同的看法，”他说。
Larson 还谈到了他与 Willy T. Ribbs 和 Bubba Wallace 等黑人赛车手的讨论，他们最近成为第二位赢得 NASCAR 杯系列赛的黑人车手，创造了历史。
“我很高兴他以及这么多人能够原谅我，”拉尔森谈到华莱士时说。
日本根源
拉尔森是第一位赢得杯赛系列赛冠军的亚裔车手。他的日本血统可以追溯到他的母亲，拉森说，他的父母被关押在拘留营中。
“成为第一个赢得 NASCAR 杯系列赛冠军的亚裔美国人绝对是一种荣幸。”
“这不是我打算以这种方式完成的事情，但现在我已经做到了，我知道我在亚洲社区中扮演着更重要的角色，”他说。
Larson 还是 NASCAR 多元化倡议的成员，该倡议旨在提高这项运动和各种行业角色的包容性。他现在是该计划首批进入 NASCAR 杯系列赛的毕业生之一。
“在过去的两年里，我取得了很多成功，感觉就像是在做梦一样。”
