DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a stunning move just two days before the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR suspended Kurt Busch indefinitely on Friday after a judge said the former champion almost surely strangled and beat an ex-girlfriend last fall and there was a “substantial likelihood” of more domestic violence from him in the future.
NASCAR said Busch would not be allowed to race or participate in any NASCAR activities until further notice given the “serious nature of the findings and conclusions” made by the Delaware judge.
“Kurt Busch and his Stewart-Haas Racing team are fully aware of our position and why this decision was made,” the series said in a statement. “We will continue to respect the process and timetable of the authorities involved.”
In a 25-page opinion explaining why he issued the no-contact order this week, Family Court Commissioner David Jones concluded that it was more likely than not that Busch abused Patricia Driscoll by “manually strangling” her and smashing her head into a wall inside his motorhome at Dover International Speedway last September.
Busch has denied the alleged assault, which is the subject of a separate criminal investigation, but the judge said Driscoll’s version of the incident was more credible than Busch’s.