Will Kyle Larson Drive the No. 5 at Hendrick Motorsports After Applying for Reinstatement?

It has been a long time since Kyle Larson last stepped in a stock car. Admittedly, he only had himself to blame, due to the fact that he dropped a racial slur on the live feed. As a result, he got banned and his team fired him on the spot. Since then, he has seemingly learned his lesson and is eager to get back in the fray.

For that to happen, he needs to approach the NASCAR governing body to apply for reinstatement, which he recently did. Now comes the deliberation process, where the sport’s higher-ups have to decide whether to let him get back in.

While all this is happening, Larson is becoming hot property among all the teams. With many puzzle pieces falling in place, no team will want to pass up a chance to rope him in. He is a proven race winner, with six under his belt, so he would still be a well sought-after figure.

What lies in the future for Kyle Larson?

There were reports that he could land a berth at Hendrick Motorsports. However, Alex Bowman snagged the #48 seat from a retiring Jimmie Johnson. The good news is that it does leave the #88 seat ripe for the taking, if he will have it.

Reports suggest the 88 at Hendrick Motorsports will be re-modeled into the No. 5 and Larson could fit in there. This further adds to Dale Earnhardt Jr’s claims on his podcast. Clint Bowyer is also set to retire at the end of the 2020 season, opening up a slot in the #14 car.

While talking to CBS This Morning, Larson said, “I would fully understand if I was never allowed to race another NASCAR race again. I hope I will get that opportunity to race with them. With that platform, I think I could do some good things. I feel like I’ve definitely grown more in these last six months than I have in the 20 years that I’ve been alive.”

Of course, there will be plenty of other seats available as the 2020 season winds down. Larson may have the painstaking job of watching the season play out from the sidelines. However, he will take comfort in the fact that he is trying to set himself up for a grand return in 2021.