Kyle Larson’s demise last year was sudden and unexpected. During an iRacing event during NASCAR’s temporary shutdown, he used the N-word on a nationally broadcast audio feed. NASCAR banned him, his sponsors cut connections with him, and Chip Ganassi Racing fired him in a matter of days. It appeared that the driver, who had been destined for greatness, would instead be consigned to infamy.

Larson had been missing for months. He freely admits that it could have been the end of his stock-car career. He worked to repair the damage outside of the public view, despite being called a racist and having his career in shambles. He hired a diversity coach, worked at a Minneapolis food bank, and had candid and challenging conversations with Bubba Wallace and Mike Metcalf, an African-American member of his Chip Ganassi Racing team. He also met with Anthony and Michelle Martin of the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia, with whom he already had a relationship.

“The thing that goes the furthest is actions, actually doing things, rather than talking about it or trying to advertise what you’ve been doing,” Larson said on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, in October. “That’s been important to me, to go out and do all these things but don’t try to promote yourself doing it. I think people will see through the BS.”

Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports, contacted Larson soon after he was sacked. It was merely a friendly call, a simple “Hey, man, how are you?”

As the summer progressed and support for Larson’s return grew, the two discussed the possibility of Larson returning under the Hendrick Motorsports banner. It had been a difficult decision to make. His colleagues backed him up, and NASCAR restored him, but the court of public opinion was a big factor, and there was no agreement. Hendrick had to make sure he wasn’t moving too fast.

“I had to be careful,” Hendrick says. “I wouldn’t do something that would hurt our company, our name, our brand. That was important to me.”

Hendrick said Larson’s behavior since his termination convinced him the driver had earned a second chance. “He just laid his heart out to everybody. It takes a man to admit, ‘Hey, I did something terrible, and I want to make it right. I’m going to learn, I’m going to go, I’m going to do.'”

The uniforms of NASCAR racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price: