Kyle Larson has applied for reinstatement, NASCAR confirmed Friday.
No decision has been made on lifting Larson’s indefinite suspension. A NASCAR spokesperson said the matter is being discussed.
NASCAR suspended Larson April 13, a day after he uttered a racial slur during an esports racing game. Chip Ganassi Racing fired Larson a day later. NASCAR required Larson to attend sensitivity training. Larson completed the training by May 6.
He has remained suspended despite completing the training because he had not applied for reinstatement until now.
Larson detailed his personal journey of reflection since losing his NASCAR ride in an Oct. 4 essay posted on his website.
“Since April, I’ve done a lot of reflecting,” Larson wrote. “I realized how little I really knew about the African-American experience in this country and racism in general. Educating myself is something I should’ve done a long time ago, because it would’ve made me a better person – the kind of person who doesn’t casually throw around an awful, racist word. The kind who makes an effort to understand the hate and oppression it symbolizes and the depth of pain it has caused Black people throughout history and still to this day. It was past time for me to shut up, listen and learn.”
Larson noted in the essay that he’s had discussions with various individuals about race and how he can be more sensitive to others.
“Everyone I’ve talked to was fully aware of the mistake I made and they chose to invest their time and energy into my growth as a person,” Larson wrote of conversations with Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, corporate executive Kevin Liles, formerly of Def Jam) and others.
Larson appeared on “CBS This Morning” on Friday.
“I feel like I’ve definitely grown more in these last six months than I have in the 28 years I’ve been alive,” Larson said in the interview.
You can watch the interview here.