Kyle Larson, a fellow NASCAR driver, left Bubba Wallace a tearful message after he used the N-word during an iRacing event, according to Wallace.

Many NASCAR drivers and drivers from other series competed in numerous virtual races on iRacing when the real-life racing world was shut down in April due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

On the evening of Easter Sunday, April 12, one of those events took place at the virtual Autodromo Nazionale Monza oval, and Chip Ganassi Racing NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson was among those in the field.

He used the N-word to communicate with his spotter on a private channel. He did not, however, use the private channel.

Instead, everyone in the field, as well as anyone watching the race live on Twitch, could hear him.

What happened next was inevitable to say the least.

Larson was suspended indefinitely by Chip Ganassi Racing and NASCAR, but it was clear that matters would not end there. Chip Ganassi’s hand was nearly forced when a number of sponsors cut ties with the 28-year-old Elk Grove, California native.

Larson hasn’t raced in a Cup Series race since Sunday, March 8 at Phoenix Raceway.

However, in the fallout of his racial slur, Larson made an effort to contact Bubba Wallace, the Cup Series’ lone African-American driver.

Wallace didn’t answer the phone.

Twice.

Larson left what was described as a “crying” voicemail before trying and failing to reach the 27-year-old Mobile, Alabama native the second time the next day.

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Before speaking with Larson, Wallace contacted Mike Metcalf Jr. Metcalf, who is also African-American, is the pit crew coach and gas can man for Larson’s former team, the #42.

Larson called Wallace back, and the two talked about it. Wallace was one of the first drivers to publicly call for Larson’s rehiring following his termination.

Wallace recently recalled the phone call on ESPN’s SportsCenter Presents 2020: Heroes, History, and Hope.

“He was super apologetic. I said, ‘Hey man, it’s in your vocabulary, dog.’ It ain’t just like, ‘Oh, am I going to say it again?’ If you use that on regular — I don’t know if he does or not — but it sounds like to me you do, then you have got to get that out of your vocabulary, you know?

“People say to me, ‘Hey, they say it in rap music.’ Whatever, that’s that culture. It’s not the NASCAR culture. It’s not. We know what to say and what not to say. You sign the dotted line, you don’t say stupid s*** like that. If someone really wants to talk, let’s talk. I want to talk. But you have to want to talk with me.”

Larson will return to the Cup Series with a new team next year, driving the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, technically as a replacement for seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who is retiring and the company reorganizing its numbers.

Meanwhile, Wallace has left Richard Petty Motorsports after three seasons and will compete in 2021 for 23XI Racing, a new team founded by NBA great Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin.

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