Larson to drive No. 5 for Hendrick in 2021

Kyle Larson is officially returning to NASCAR competition in 2021, and he will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, the team announced Wednesday. Larson signed a multi-year deal to join the four-car team, and Cliff Daniels will serve as his crew chief.

This marks the latest change for Hendrick next season. Alex Bowman, currently driving the No. 88 Chevrolet, will switch to the No. 48 car, replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who’s retiring from full-time NASCAR at the end of the 2020 season. In addition to Bowman, Larson’s future teammates will be Chase Elliott and William Byron.

Bowman’s current crew chief, Greg Ives, will join him with the 48 team, allowing Daniels, Johnson’s current crew chief, to take over the new No. 5 team. And Hendrick Motorsports noted that it will no longer field the No. 88 car, an iconic number once driven by Dale Earnhardt

Jr. Entering the 2020 season, Larson was considered the top upcoming free agent. During a streamed iRacing event in April, the now-28-year-old driver said the N-word, and he was fired by Chip

Ganassi Racing and suspended by NASCAR.

Earlier this month, Larson published an essay acknowledging there was zero excuse for his ignorance about the harm the racist slur causes and said he was “rightly suspended.” He also explained how he’s spent the last several months participating in various diversity programs to educate himself while also helping to create opportunities for Black people and people of color in racing.

Larson’s most recent NASCAR race was the 2020 Fan Shield 500 in March at Phoenix Raceway, which took place prior to the sport’s hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season will mark his seventh full-time year in the Cup Series, NASCAR’s highest level.

On October 19, NASCAR announced that he was reinstated and can return to NASCAR-related activities at the start of 2021. NASCAR said in a statement.