NASCAR suspends Kurt Busch, charged with beating his ex girlfriend

Kurt Busch, a former NASCAR Cup level champion has been SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY due to the events of Friday. Today a judge said the former champion almost surely choked and beat a former girlfriend last fall and there was a “substantial likelihood” of more domestic violence from him in the future.

In a stunning move two days before the season-opening Daytona 500, NASCAR said Kurt Busch would not be allowed to participate in any series activities until further notice given the “serious nature of the findings and conclusions” made by a Delaware judge involving the driver known as “The Outlaw.”

The following is a statement from Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Joe Custer regarding Kurt Busch.

“We understand NASCAR’s position regarding Kurt Busch and accept their decision. We are in the midst of finalizing our plans for the Daytona 500 and we will announce those details as soon as we’re ready.”

It is Kurt Busch’s third career suspension. He was suspended in 2012 by NASCAR for threatening a reporter, and parked for the final two races of the 2005 season by Roush-Fenway Racing after he was pulled over by police in Arizona.

Kurt Busch becomes the first driver suspended by NASCAR for domestic violence. Chairman Brian France had maintained the series would let the process play out before ruling on Busch’s eligibility – and the series came down hard in finding that he committed actions detrimental to stock car racing and broke the series’ behavioral rules.

Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital, eBay, Google News and CBS Interactive. You can read Banks’ feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone.

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