New York Mets: Marcus Stroman challenges Nascar driver to a fight

New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman created a buzz on social media Tuesday, challenging Nascar driver Kyle Larson to a fight after Larson was suspended for using a racial slur during a virtual race.

New York Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman is a fiery competitor who wears his heart on his sleeve and is not afraid to express his views on social media.

The 5’7″ New York native took to Twitter Tuesday morning to voice his displeasure over the events this past weekend involving a racial slur and Nascar driver Kyle Larson.

For those who are unaware, numerous Nascar drivers have been using the driving simulation video game iRacing due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down all live sporting events across the globe. The site is used as a way for the drivers to keep racing and competing during the downtime, while also letting the fans watch their favorite drivers race live and online.

This past Sunday, while participating in a race that was being live-streamed, Larson appeared to lose audio connection with another person (either another driver or a spotter) and can be heard saying, “You can’t hear me? Hey n—. Wow”.

This outburst caused wide stream attention and backlash from fans and athletes across a multitude of sports. Even his sponsors took notice, with multiple sponsors like McDonald’s and Credit One Bank pulling their financial support from the driver the following day.

Larson would take to his own social media account to issue an apology, but not before Nascar and iRacing suspended him indefinitely. This would lead to his team, Chip Ganassi Racing, also suspending and eventually firing Larson from driving with the organization moving forward.

The California native has also been ordered to complete sensitivity training before he can be eligible to race under Nascar again.

Enter the Stro Show.

Responding to a tweet by Fox Nashville, Stroman would go on to say that Larson “needs his a– beat” and challenged the driver to a fight for charity once he retired from baseball. He would also go on to say that Larson “should never be allowed to race again” and would also dive into his personal history with the N-word, mentioning how he experienced first hand the word being used towards him in a hateful manner.

Stroman’s response was met with a mixed bag of reactions, with some backing the HDMH founder and his outburst towards Larson while others questioned his reaction due to the word being used in society, predominantly in the music industry.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, nobody can argue that Stroman has always been one to never shy away from his intentions and his opinion, stemming back to his days when he was pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Stroman has always been a huge advocate for using social media as a way to connect with his fans, whether it be responding to questions or interacting with other players in the clubhouse. He mentions that using social media is not only good for the overall fan experience but also a positive solution for himself as a way to relax and separate himself from training and the rigorous baseball schedule.

While fans and those around him have told him to stop using the sites, Stroman continues to stick to his guns and consistently tweets and posts to Instagram daily, showing everything from bullpen side sessions with fellow teammates to promoting his foundation.

In the end, I don’t see a fight happening anytime soon between the Mets righty and the Nascar driver (Stroman has a long way to go before retiring), but I have no doubt that Stroman will continue to use social media to speak openly on whatever topic he chooses, whether you like it or not.

Who do you think would win in the fight? UFC 500 might have just found its main event.