NASCAR driver Kyle Larson signs with Hendrick Motorsports and will drive the No. 5 car following his suspension for using a racial slur on live television

Kyle Larson will be back in NASCAR next season driving the flagship No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports following a turbulent year in which he was suspended for using a racial slur during a live broadcast.

Larson signed a multi-year contract Wednesday with Hendrick that ended his seven-month banishment from NASCAR for using the n-word while playing an online racing game last spring. He'd been considered the top pending free agent in the sport but was promptly fired by Chip Ganassi Racing and lost all his sponsors.

Since using the slur on April 12, Larson has completed NASCAR's sensitivity training, hired an inclusion training coach, volunteered with the Tony Sanneh Foundation, visited Jackie Joyner-Kersee and her St. Louis community center, and the site of the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri, that followed a fatal police shooting of a Black man.

Larson has volunteered at food banks, went with Sanneh to the George Floyd Memorial site in Minneapolis, spent extensive time at the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia and made numerous other visits to both educate himself on racial justice issues and speak of his own experiences.

Larson, who is half-Japanese, also kept racing under the radar: He has won 42 sprint car races in 2020 while suspended from NASCAR.

Kyle Larson signed a multi-year contract Wednesday with Hendrick that ended his seven-month banishment from NASCAR for using the n-word while playing an online racing game last spring. He'd been considered the top pending free agent in the sport but was promptly fired by Chip Ganassi Racing and lost all his sponsors

The 27-year-old Larson was speaking with other drivers on an open line that was being broadcast on Twitch, which live streams video game competitions among other things. The Twitch display shows viewers which driver is speaking at any given time (center of the screen, above the steering wheel but below the windshield). And although Larson appeared to think he was having communication issues, the audience could hear him clearly and see his name on the screen when he uttered the racial slur

In this February 8, 2020, file photo, Kyle Larson climbs into his car as he gets ready for a NASCAR auto race practice at Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Larson will be back in NASCAR next season driving the flagship No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson signed a multi-year contract Wednesday morning

'Kyle is unquestionably one of the most talented race car drivers in the world,' team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. 'He has championship-level ability and will be a significant addition to our on-track program. More importantly, I have full confidence that he understands our expectations and will be a tremendous ambassador for our team, our partners and NASCAR.' 

Hendrick said he's had 'many, many conversations' with Larson and is 'confident about what's in his heart and his desire to be a champion in all aspects of his life and career. Kyle has done important work over the past six months, and Hendrick Motorsports is going to support those continued efforts.'

Hendrick was expected to bid for Larson when his contract expired with Ganassi, who also wanted to keep the driver he'd groomed from sprint cars to NASCAR's top Cup level.

Instead, the 28-year-old's future in NASCAR was jeopardized by his use of the slur during an iRacing event late Easter Sunday. He was finally reinstated by NASCAR last week.

'Mr. Hendrick is one of the people who extended a hand to me over the past six months,' Larson said in a statement. 'Our initial conversations were not about racing. He cares about me as a person and wants to see me succeed beyond driving. I can´t put into words how grateful I am for the commitment, the faith and the confidence from him and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports.'

Larson will be teamed with crew chief Cliff Daniels, who spent the last two years working with seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.

Car owner Rick Hendrick said he's had 'many, many conversations' with Larson and is 'confident about what's in his heart and his desire to be a champion'

Since April, Larson has spent significant time with retired soccer star Tony Sanneh , whose foundation works on youth development in the Minneapolis area. Larson also met with former Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee and visited her foundation in East St. Louis, and also spoke with Max Siegel, the CEO of USA Track & Field who also runs a NASCAR-sanctioned team that is part of the stock car series' diversity program

Larson has spent the time away from NASCAR racing sprint cars with a phenomenal success rate. He's won 41 times so far this year and rebuilt a devout fanbase along the way

Hendrick will return the No. 5 - the first car campaigned when Hendrick Motorsports launched in 1984 - and discontinue use of the No. 88 it acquired for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008. Geoff Bodine drove the No. 5 to three victories in the 1984 season that was almost Hendrick's first and last in NASCAR.

Kyle Larson immediately became the target of angry NASCAR fans on social media after using the slur on Twitch, a gaming website

The No. 5 has made a Hendrick-record 1,129 Cup Series starts and Larson will be the 10th driver in the car but the first since Kasey Kahne in 2017. Hall of Famer Terry Labonte won 12 races and the 1996 Cup title in the No. 5.

'The "5" is special to me. It's the original,' Hendrick said. 'I view it as Hendrick Motorsports´ flagship team in a lot of ways. To bring the car back to the racetrack is meaningful for my family and for many of our team members and fans.'

Larson will be part of a Hendrick lineup that includes Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman. The average age of the lineup will be 26 years old at the opening of next season.

The four drivers combined have already won 18 Cup Series races and earned 14 playoff berths.

'I'm excited about our roster of young talent,' Hendrick said. 'We have a team that is built to win races and compete for championships for years to come.'

Larson has received support from Bubba Wallace, the only African-American driver on the NASCAR Cup Series, who successfully pushed for the sport to ban the Confederate flag at races earlier this year.  

While Wallace, 27, does not condone what Larson said, he explained in April that it is important to give Larson a chance to redeem himself.

Larson has received support from Bubba Wallace , the only African-American driver on the NASCAR Cup Series, who successfully pushed for the sport to ban the Confederate flag at races earlier this year. While Wallace, 27, does not condone what Larson said, he explained in April that it is important to give Larson a chance to redeem himself

'There is no place for that word in this world,' read the statement Wallace posted on Twitter. 'I am not mad at him, and I believe that he, along with most people deserve second chances, and deserve space to improve. I do wish him and his family nothing but the best. And I am more than willing to work with him to address diversity and inclusion in our sport.'

Immediately after the incident, Wallace explained, Larson reached out via text message. The following day the two promising young drivers had a FaceTime call.

Wallace said that Larson gave him a 'sincere' apology.

'What Larson said was wrong, whether in private or public,' Wallace's statement began. 'There is no grey area.

'I saw the incident the night it happened and within 5 minutes Kyle texted me. He called me the next morning as well. Finally I called him back with a FaceTime to talk 'face to face,' and we had a good conversation, his apology was sincere.

'His emotions and pride were shattered,' Wallace continued. 'We discussed why he chose to use that language and I shared my thoughts.

'I told him, it was too easy for him to use the word and that he has to do better and get it out of his vocabulary.'

Bubba Wallace, 27, released his statement in response to Kyle Larson's firing on Twitter