This is why I can't stand Kyle Larson. We all know why he "sat out" for a season as Fox put it. We all know why he gained so many fans when he returned.
He bears responsibility for the resurgence of openly racist NASCAR fans:
Larson's usage of the n-word, regardless of context, made it more acceptable (in the eyes of conservative fans) to be more openly racist. Then, months later George Floyd was murdered and the noose incident occurred.
It was the perfect cultural storm for racist fans to be louder.
It's no secret most racist Bubba haters on Twitter have Larson all over their profiles. It's no secret most of his fans came AFTER he returned to NASCAR.
He made the right PR decisions to return. He "did the work," so to say.
He also never denounced the racist fans he gained.