Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978), is an American professional racing car racer. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series Energy Monster, driving a Ford Ford No. 1. 41 for Stewart-Haas Racing. He is the winner of the NASCAR Nextel Cup 2004 series. He is the older brother of the 2015 Sprint NASCAR Series champion, Kyle Busch. The brothers are second generation riders; their father, Tom, won several events approved by NASCAR.
Busch was also encouraged to Row Racing Racing, Phoenix Racing, Penske Racing, and Roush Racing in his career at the Sprint Cup, which began in 2000. The winner of 29 Cup career races, Busch drove to Roush Racing when he won the 2004 NASCAR Championship Nextel Cup Series. Busch is also racing on a "permission" basis in the NHRA Stock Pro division. When Busch won the Series Cup Championship in 2004, it was his first season using the "Chase for the Cup" point format. With a 2006 win in the Busch Series, Busch became one of twenty-nine riders to win races in all three NASCAR divisions: Cup Series, Xfinity Series and World Truck Camping Series. Busch is also a Daytona 500 winner, achieving in 2017.
Video Kurt Busch
Initial and personal life
Busch was born in Thomas and Gaye Busch in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the age of six, Busch accompanied his father to the track and drove his own cart. As an underage juvenile, he competed in a Dwarf competition winning only in his second race, at Las Vegas Speedway Park. The father and son team competed with the western track from Southern California to Utah. In 1994, his first year as a driver, Busch won ten races in a row on ten different tracks. His father eventually sold their dwarf equipment and bought a powerful car for the Legend Series, which Busch began driving in 1996 at the age of 18. After graduating at Durango High School, Busch enrolled at the University of Arizona, hoping to get a degree in Pharmacy.
Busch was engaged to girlfriend Eva Bryan while attending the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix. On July 27, 2006, three years to the day when they met on a blind date, they got married in Virginia. The tape was recorded and then aired on national television. Busch announced on June 30, 2011, "Those in the NASCAR community have been aware for some time now that we are no longer together and we are legally separated". The announcement comes a few days after Busch kissed another woman in Victory Lane's celebration after winning at Sonoma Raceway. Busch and Eva Bryan filed for divorce in early June and are legally separated by the end of the month.
Busch has a documented history of team members and the media being verbally abused. During the 2011 NASCAR Championship week, Busch revealed that he has worked with sports psychologists for two months, to work on "personal issues".
Busch is also a baseball fan and declares the purpose of visiting every national baseball stadium. His favorite baseball team is the Chicago Cubs.
His younger brother Kyle Busch also competed full-time in the Cup Series, as well, driving a Camry No. 18. He is a Sprint Cup 2015 champion and runs part-time both in the Xfinity Series and the World Truck Camping Series.
Busch is a close friend of the famous entrepreneur Felix Sabates who owns the Ganassi Racing Chip (CGR), and has a successful racing team SABCO Racing. In 2012 when Busch drove a car for Phoenix Racing (CGR allies), he also praised Sabates for helping him convince James Finch to hire him.
On Friday, November 7, 2014, it was reported that Busch is being investigated for domestic assault on the incident on September 26, 2014 in Dover, Delaware. The incident involved Busch's ex-boyfriend, Patricia Driscoll, on a motorcycle at Dover International Speedway. On February 16, 2015, Busch was given a no-contact order by a Dover judge. Busch indefinitely suspended by NASCAR February 20, 2015. On 5 March 2015 the Delaware attorney general's office ruled that there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges for domestic violence. However NASCAR did not lift the suspension of choosing to continue the recovery program agreed upon by Busch. The official statement from NASCAR reads "He has accepted the terms and conditions of the recovery program and is actively participating in the program." Busch's validity for recovery will continue to be regulated by the program and NASCAR's rule book, although the elimination of possible criminal charges naturally removes significant obstacles to its recovery. "
In October 2014 at Martinsville, Busch was introduced to polo player Ashley Van Meter by his sister, who is also a friend of Busch. The two eventually start dating, and Busch announces their engagement on August 26, 2015. They get married on January 7, 2017.
Maps Kurt Busch
Racing career
Beginning
Busch's first racing experience was in a Dwarf car at the age of 14 at the Pahrump Valley Speedway. He was put in a Dwarf car by his father.
Busch got a great pause after Chris Trickle was injured in an unsolved shooting. (Trickle will die from injury more than a year later.) The Star Nursery team is looking for a new driver to replace Trickle for the No. team. Busch gained national exposure while competing against Ron Hornaday, Jr., Matt Crafton, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and others for the first time at the 1997 Winter Heat Series at Tucson Raceway Park.
The Busch team went on to win the 1998 Auto Zone Elite Division Rookie of the Year Series Southwest. He followed up by winning the series championship in 1999.
It led to a test run on the Roush Racing "Gong Show", which he won and won the Craftsman Truck Series. He spurred Ford No. 99 Ford F-150. He won four races and was runner-up to team-mate Greg Biffle in the championship standings, and won the Rookie of the Year award.
Monster Energy Cup Series
Roush Racing
2000-2005
Roush Racing announced during the 2000 season that Busch was being promoted to the Winston Cup Series to replace Chad Little in No. 2. 97 Ford Roush for the 2001 season. Little was finally released early, and Busch took over No. 97 John Deere Ford in Dover in September 2000. Busch ran seven of the last eight races (Little drove in Talladega) with head crew Jeff Hammond. Best performances Busch is the 13th finish in Charlotte.
Busch took over No. 97 full time in 2001, and ran for the Rookie of the Year award. After John Deere left the team, No. 97 start the 2001 season is not sponsored. After the team signed Rubbermaid for a multi-year contract later in the spring, Busch scored three Top 5 and six Top 10 finishes that year. He and Dale Earnhardt made contact at the Daytona 500 in 2001 in round 85. Earnhardt immediately slammed the Bird Busch at 185 mph or as described by the lap-by-lap commentator Mike Joy at Fox Sports booth, he simply told him "Kurt, your number one. "To this day, Busch remembers this as the only time he meets Earnhardt on the track (it was also the last time he and Earnhardt competed in the same race as a result of Earnhardt's fatal crash on the last lap). Busch finished 27th in the standings and runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award, and earned more than $ 2 million in victory. Busch's finest finish was third in the spring race of Talladega, which three weeks after his first career print of Top 5 finished in Texas (fourth), and he added a fifth place at Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis. He also won a pole for the Southern 500 in Darlington, where he led 74 laps before the final brush of the race with a wall took him to the garage. A month later, he led 38 laps at Martinsville before contact with Ricky Rudd cut off his left back tire; the heavy traffic behind him made things worse, as Busch had to complete one and a half laps before he could reach the pits. During the delay, the carcass tires wrapped around the shaft, spending several rounds. The overheating problem stopped a strong performance at Rockingham in October, where he led 45 laps.
2002 is the year of Busch's breakout in the Winston Cup Series. He won his first victory at Food City 500 in Bristol, after struggling with rival Jimmy Spencer with used tires. Busch added a second win at Martinsville in October and then won in Atlanta next week and at the end of the season at Homestead. It gives Busch four wins, twelve Top 5, and 22 Top 10 finishes, and one pole, all of which will allow him to finish third in the final standings for this year. He finished the season very strongly, winning three of the last five races and finishing third and sixth and leading many laps in the next two. As well as finish at point standings, he also collected $ 5,105,394. The 2002 season saw Kurt Busch become the first rider in NASCAR history to win most races in his first winning season by 4. He is one of only 2 riders to achieve this feat, along with Carl Edwards, who did so 3 years later. in 2005.
Busch had a year of "ups and downs" in 2003, completing the eleventh in the points standings of the season, earning four wins (including sweeping the season at Bristol, making him the first racer to do that since Rusty Wallace made it in 2000), nine Top 5, and the 14 Top 10 finished but the late-season slump put him in place of this finishing in points standings, although he collected more than US $ 5,000,000 again that year. Busch was the runner-up finisher who at the time, was the closest in all NASCAR history - this is the Dodge Carolina 400 Dealer, held in Darlington on March 16 that year. The race on this old race track was decided by a two-lap fight between him and Ricky Craven. For two laps, two riders battled for victory and touched the car together. When the cars were installed, the last lap with a ferocity ended with Craven shifting in front of Busch with 0.002 seconds, making it the closest finish in NASCAR history, tied to the Aaron Harp 499. Busch also won the IROC championship before winning the NASCAR Championship.
In 2004, Busch won three races, two poles, and the first NASCAR NextCat Cup Championship. He won his fourth consecutive race at Bristol after winning Food City 500 in March (winning the race for the third year in a row), and became the second rider to win both races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in one season. He scored ten Top 5 and 21 Top 10 finishes. Mid-season 2005, Busch announced that he would leave Roush Racing at the end of the season and would replace Rusty Wallace in Dodge No.. 2 for Penske Racing South. Initially, Roush was unhappy with Busch's decision to leave his team but when Chip Ganassi Racing announced that Jamie McMurray wanted to join Roush Racing in 2006, Roush agreed to let Busch go.
Busch won three races during the 2005 season, along with nine Top 5 and 18 Top 10 finishes in 34 races. He finished tenth in the final standings.
Penske Racing
2006-2010
Busch was released from Roush Racing in late 2005 and joined Penske Racing South in 2006. Busch had asked the owner of Jack Roush's team to get him out of his contract at the end of 2005, but Roush initially refused. However, after Chip Ganassi released Jamie McMurray from his contract in 2006, Roush decided to release Busch when Roush learned that Busch had signed a contract with Roger Penske before the season ended. Busch's last race with Roush-Fenway Racing and 2005 was in Texas before the last two races; because he was parked by NASCAR because of an incident with the police (see below). Busch appealed and misunderstanding on the part of the police cleared before the race but still parking penalty was held on the spot.
McMurray, who was originally scheduled to join Roush in 2007 to drive Number 6 (which eventually went to David Ragan) instead of replacing Busch in No. 2. 97, which is then numbered back to No. 26.
In the 2006 season, driving for Penske, Busch scored a win at Bristol Motor Speedway at Food City 500, his fifth win on the track. Busch celebrates victory by getting out of his car and making a snow angel on the track, due to snow falling on the weekend's track. He also won six poles and had seven tops and twelve top ten finishes but finished 16th in the final standings. He also made his debut in Busch Series for Penske in Dodge No.. 39 at Texas Motor Speedway, winning in his first race. He ran six more races that season and grabbed his second win at Watkins Glen International by holding Robby Gordon on the last lap. Gordon and Busch on the last lap struggled to win but resulted in Busch holding the lead in the outside loop to seal the win. In a winning circle, Busch thanked Gordon for his fight to win and said that the fight reminded him of the 2003 Dodge Carolina Dealer at Darlington in 2003 when Ricky Craven beat Busch by an inch to win the race after a 2 lap-long struggle to chess.
In the 2007 season, Busch had two wins, one pole, scored five top-five, and ten top ten through 26 races and qualified for Chase for the Sprint Cup. Busch's on-track performance increased sharply after the addition of Pat Tryson as head of his crew in mid-season. He also ran four more Busch races, earning 2 of 5 and 3 top ten finishes.
In 2008, to ensure rookie team-mate Sam Hornish Jr. will be guaranteed a starting place in the first five races of the season, owner points from the No. car. 2 Busch moved to No. car. 77 driven by Hornish. Busch will still be guaranteed a starting place, due to NASCAR's Champion Rules Champion, stating that the latest series champions not at the top 35 at the end of last season's owner points automatically qualify for the race. (With his 2004 championship, Busch in recent years).
At Daytona 500 2008, Busch competes to win and has a fast car on the last lap that can win. He and team-mate Ryan Newman were greeted by rival Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart and Kurt's brother, Kyle in the last round and Kurt decided instead of trying to win on his own, pushing Newman to victory. In turn 4 Newman completed further challenges and won the race, thanking him for his victory at Busch in a victory circle. This is Daytona's first 500 victory Roger Penske and it makes Penske one of the few owners to win the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 in the owners career.
On June 29, Busch broke a 29-race winless streak on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway when Lenox 301 Industrial Tools was called for rain on lap 284. This was his first victory since the Michigan summer race in late 2007, and his fourth win since joining with Penske Racing and 18 overall.
He started the 2009 season at Daytona 500 2009, he was involved in an accident on lap 124 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. swerved to Brian Vickers. Vickers fired on the track and hit the wall, bouncing off to Denny Hamlin, who descended to Busch. He then spun onto the grass along with eight other drivers including his brother Kyle. Busch made many pit stops to fix the car, and could finish tenth. Kurt is one of the many people who believe that Dale Jr.'s relationship was deliberate and Kurt joined Earnhardt's fans, the drivers and owners in summoning NASCAR to punish Earnhardt, for the rest of the race but this was not granted.
Busch then qualified fourth for the second race of the season at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. He ran in the top five races and finished fifth. It moved it seven places in the standings to third place. Busch led most of the 2009 Cobalt Tools 500 race, leading 235 of 325 rounds and earning his victory in the Ninth Cup Sprint Cup. He leads more rounds in the race than in the whole 2008 season. In Las Vegas he and his younger brother, Kyle, experienced a touching moment when Kyle Busch won in Las Vegas, their hometown. In a winning circle, Kurt enters and shares a big hug with Kyle. NASCAR's legendary racer and broadcaster Darrell Waltrip called it "The most touching thing I've ever seen."
He remains on the top five points for the rest of the season. He qualified for Chase, and finished fourth in the standings, the highest-ranking car that was not under the banner of Hendrick Motorsports. Busch won another victory at the 2009 Dickies 500 after his brother Kyle ran out of fuel with two laps to go.
For the 2010 season, Penske Racing brought rookie, Brad Keselowski aboard to drive the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger. Busch and Sam Hornish will be his team mates. Keselowski also runs the full-time Nationwide Series, driving a No. Dodge Challenger. 22. 2009 Rookie Justin Allgaier accompanies him in the Nationwide Series. Steve Addington, who was the head crew of Kyle Busch for the past two seasons and led the younger Busch to 14 wins, became crew chief for Kurt at the start of the 2010 season, when Pat Tryson went on to join Michael Waltrip Racing as Martin Truex, Crew Jr. Chairman.
On May 22, 2010, Busch won the 26th annual Sprint All-Star Race NASCAR. He then followed him by winning the Coca-Cola 600 the following weekend, becoming the seventh driver to win both of them in the same year. Busch eventually made Chase the fifth seed in points. Busch also, incredibly, finished seventh in Daytona in Coke Zero 400 after damaging three times in the last twelve laps.
Busch will finish the eleventh season among Chase's competitors.
2011
In 2011, Busch and Keselowski exchanged teams and crew. Busch took over No.22 Dodge. Busch won the first win of Budweiser Shootout after Denny Hamlin went under the yellow line at the end of the race at Daytona. He will continue to win the Gatorade Duel 1 2011, and due to polesitter accident Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in practice, which forced him into a backup car, Busch started first for the Daytona 500 2011, and started the 2011 season three for three.
Busch won the pole and led most of the races in Kansas, for 152 laps. However, late fueling problems hurt his chances of winning. Team mate Brad Keselowski won. However, a few weeks later on June 26, Kurt finally got the elusive road victory at Infineon Raceway. Not only did he win, but he also led the most laps with 76. Because of an injury to Brad Keselowski during a training accident at Road Atlanta, Busch filled out for Keselowski in his NASCAR Nationwide Series car for Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International, and Busch managed to get a pole and win. On August 13, 2011, Busch has won 1/4 of all Nationwide races. On 2 October, Busch won on two final restarts defeating Jimmie Johnson in turn 1 leading 43 laps last to clinch his first win at Monster Mile in Dover. After the last five dizzying races, things culminated when Busch launched a verbal tirade against ESPN cameraman, and gave indecent gestures to the workers when a car blocked his path to his pit garage following a transmission failure in the same race. The head of Steve Addington's crew moved to Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2011 season.
Busch's work with Penske Racing ended on December 5, 2011. Although most sports observers believe he was fired, Busch claimed in a public statement that the breakup was "reciprocal": "I thank Penske Racing for a very productive six years. we won a lot of races - 16 in all... Getting a deal together to part us was a positive step for me. "In contrast, Charlotte Observer reports some sources confirming team owner Roger Penske decided that Busch's fight at the Homestead-Miami Speedway was the last straw in his mastery period with the team but chose to postpone the announcement until after Sunday Champion. He was replaced in No.22 by A. J. Allmendinger.
Phoenix Racing
2012
After his release from Penske Racing, Busch reached an agreement to drive Phoenix Racing, driving a Chevrolet No. 1. 51, for the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, He also runs a limited Nationwide Series schedule for the team, while running an additional Nationwide Series race for Kyle Busch Motorsports, a No. 1 car share. 54 with his younger brother.
In 2012 Aaron 499 at Talladega, Busch pays homage to the 2006 racing comedy Talladega Nights: Ballad Ricky Bobby by running the No. 1 car. 51 with Ricky Bobby's paint scheme. 62 "ME" Cougar's car from the movie, causing Mike Mike's jal, Mike Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip jokingly refer to Busch as "Ricky Bobby" throughout the race, and Busch also dropped the movie line into a radio chat with head of lookouts and crew. Busch's girlfriend Patricia Driscoll spent months getting permission from Sony and Will Ferrell and other trademark and license holders. The real life of Busch who fell out of grace during the 2011-12 Sprint Cup offtason has been compared to Ricky Bobby. Busch's car was one of the stronger players, running near the front and leading a few laps. Toward the end of the race, with six laps remaining, he retreated as he came out of the trio from his former former team back boss, Brad Keselowski. After stopping, Busch drove back to the pit road to get a replacement tire, even though he was not punished and finished in 20th position as the last car on the front lap.
In Darlington, Busch turned back with Ryan Newman, and the second days of the rider ended. Busch was fined $ 50,000 and had a five-year trial and Newman was not sentenced. Busch will finish the race at 21, the last car on the front lap.
On June 4, 2012, Busch fought with Justin Allgaier at the Nationwide event in Dover and after speaking with his boss and brother Kyle. When asked by Bob Pockrass about his probation, Busch said, "It's preventing me from beating you now because you're asking stupid questions, but because I'm on probation I do not think it's worth saying." If you can talk about things to race, we'll talk about a lot of things, Bob. It's not a race, you're just here to start things, you know you're all here! "NASCAR immediately stopped Busch from the Pocono race as a result of violating their policy of prohibiting openly swearing.
The following week NASCAR stopped Busch until June 13 and extended its probation until 31 December. Busch had been on probation for a confrontation with Newman and his crew after the May 12 Sprint Cup race at Darlington and for careless driving through Newman's pit hole.
According to the NASCAR news release, Busch was suspended for violating Section 12-1 of the NASCAR rule book, which includes "adverse actions of stock car racing; trial violations; verbal abuse to members of the media."
On July 6, Busch won the JalapeÃÆ'Â Â ± 250 National Series in Daytona by passing Austin Dillion in the last round.
For 7-8 months running his job with James Finch, he finished third in Sonoma after leading several laps and running in the top three throughout the race. But his closest defeat occurred in Talladega that fall. There Busch controlled the early and middle races and spun out of contact with Jamie McMurray. He was parked by NASCAR after driving away from the safety officer who tried to help him and he would not stop his car even though NASCAR told him to do it. The following week he started driving for Furniture Row Racing.
Furniture Row Racing
2012
On September 24, 2012, it was announced that Busch would drive No. 1. 78 Chevrolet SS for Row Racing Furniture for the 2013 season, replacing Regan Smith.
In its first start for FRR at Bank of America 500 of 2012, Busch completed within twenty-one. He got twenty-five places the following week in Kansas. Busch then rebounded with three top-ten in a row in Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead to end the season.
2013
2013 starts for Busch in the same way as in 2012 - driving with a new team, in this case, Furniture Row Racing. Apart from this, Busch showed a significant improvement over the 2012 year, both for himself and for the overall FRR: within three years the car was driven by Regan Smith, Furniture Row Racing had just one win, three top-five, and six top-ten finish, and only lead 42 laps in the Sprint Cup competition. In comparison, in the first 23 races of 2013, Busch has five top-five finishes, nine top-ten finishes, one pole, and has led 270 laps, more than six times as many laps as the car had taken the lead with Smith in the previous three seasons.
Busch started the 2013 season at Sprint Unlimited on lap 14, ending in 13th place. He finished fifth in Duel Budweiser, but his poor handling made him finish the Daytona 500 in 28th place, five laps down. He did not raise much next week in Phoenix, where he completed a round in a twnety-seventh place. He then finished twenty places in Las Vegas. After three less successful runs, he achieved a resurgence, earning fourth place at Bristol.
At Fontana, Busch went one lap down shortly after being punished for speeding during a green flag pit stop, but he surged back in the final round to finish in third place behind his brother Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt, Jr..
In Martinsville, Busch had a bad luck. He crashed at the start of the race and after fixing his damage, managed to take the lucky dog ​​free bait. But then, on lap 487, when it ran down a lot, Busch lost the brakes in turn 1 and slammed the wall hard enough to cause his engine to burn. It issued a red flag of 6 minutes. Busch was not hurt.
In Texas, Busch almost gained a pole position with a qualifying speed of 195,688 mph, but the last to escape; his sister managed to win a pole with a speed of 196,299 mph to complete the qualification. Busch finally started the second, but still in the front row. But he was disappointed to miss the pole, saying "I better lose to Kyle than anyone else... it's frustrating that I lost it to him."
In Richmond, Busch led 36 rounds and competed for victory. However, on the final restart he re-snared with Tony Stewart. He has bumped Stewart at the restart causing Stewart to finish out of the top ten. After the race ended, two cars exchanged swords and both sparred on the pit road, attracting much attention from the winner of the Kevin Harvick race. Both are summoned to the NASCAR hauler. Busch finished in ninth place, and told reporters that he accidentally hit Stewart and said he was surprised and disappointed when Stewart retaliated after the examination.
In Talladega, Busch led two laps and was in the top ten on lap 182 when he was collected in a big collision in the back immediately. He took the worst damage in the accident, like J.J. Yeley escaped contact with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., went to the track and hit him with enough force that Busch turned sideways, upside down once, and landed on Ryan Newman, then slid from Newman and hit the outside wall, and was beaten again by Clint Bowyer and Bobby Labonte. Busch was not hurt.
At Darlington, Busch won his first pole position this year. From a drop of green flags, Busch leads 69 of the first 80 rounds, but his handling is gone after the first green flag pit stops and he is forced to finish in place of the fourteenth.
In All-Star racing, Busch started in front and led 29 laps, winning two of four rounds of 20 rounds, with brother Kyle winning the other two. However, the bad pits by both brother Busch were responsible for causing them to lose the lead and race to Jimmie Johnson for the last 10 lap races. Kurt finished fifth.
At Coca-Cola 600 a week later, Busch started second only outside the front row. Despite having to replace the battery at the end of the race, he led eight laps and he still finished in third place, the first time he finished in the top three since June 2012 in Sonoma. When interviewed, he replied, "Yes, top-five is great, to be in front, to lead the lap, that's what happened, so we'll get a bit of this hiccup and move on ahead.that's all we can do is learn from what really happened - is it a wiring problem, a dead battery, is an alternator not charging? To show our strength tonight, to finish third, we'll take it.I think that's what "Tim Row Furniture is fast, and we're not quite a perfect night, and we took him home third. "
Busch then finished 12th place in Dover and seventh place in Pocono. In Michigan, Busch qualified for the front line and led the first 21 laps, but dropped seven laps when he had an early accident on lap 30.
In Sonoma, Busch got the next big five with a fourth finish at Sonoma, after leading fifteen laps, then battling back from lap down after a pair of penalties drove on the pit road.
In Kentucky, a brief controversy about Busch as on lap 48, he was responsible for causing seven horrendous car accidents as he descended into an apron, then returned to the track and turned Brad keselowski close to turn 1, causing Keselowski to shoot up the track and collect some more cars including Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil, and Dave Blaney. Busch finished sixth, and followed this up with another sixth place finish at Coke Zero 400. The final result gave Furniture Row Racing their first breakthrough of three top-ten finishes, and also moved Busch up to ninth on points. But the following week at Loudon, Busch started second and led 102 laps before he turned and marred by Matt Kenseth and finished 31st.
In Indianapolis, Busch has a fourteenth place. The following week at Pocono, he led nine laps and took third place. This was followed by a ninth place finish at Watkins Glen. Back in Michigan, Busch started outside the front row, leading 43 laps, and finishing third, bringing him up to ninth on driver points.
At Bristol in August, Busch started in the outer row and led 54 laps early, before the loose wheel caused him to go behind the wall, producing 31 places to finish, 26 laps down. However, he bounced back for the next two weeks, finishing fourth in Atlanta. The following week in Richmond, Busch started second and had one of the strongest cars in the evening, eventually finishing second to Carl Edwards. It also marks the first appearance of Row Racing Furniture at Chase.
In Chicagoland, Busch opened Chase with a fourth finish. He then finished 13th place in New Hampshire. In Dover, Busch finished 21, three laps down, after he had to complain for loose wheels. In Kansas, Busch was forced to start at the back of the field when he fell in training and had to pull out a spare car. He made it through the pitch to finish second. This brought Busch up to ten top-five and fifteen top-ten finished over 30 races. Busch will continue to finish tenth in the final standings.
Also in 2013, Busch plans to drive a No. Chevrolet. 1 in the Nationwide Series for Phoenix Racing, competing in sixteen shows; if he only ran three races during the season, damaging Daytona but had the top ten at Talladega and the second race in Daytona.
Stewart-Haas Racing
On 26 August 2013, Busch announced that he would leave Furniture Row Racing to join Stewart-Haas Racing, stating that he had signed a multi-year contract with the team. One of the team's owners, Gene Haas stated that he will finance Busch's journey exclusively. At the end of September it was revealed that Busch's car number is No. 41.
2014
Busch is having a great race for his new team at Fontana. He led a bit of a race after Jimmie Johnson blew a tire with 7 laps to go. He led on the restart against teammate Tony Stewart but lost the lead on the final lap after allowing Kyle Busch to slip past and win.
The following week at STP 500, on lap 43, Busch collided with Brad Keselowski in pit road during the anniversary, causing major damage to Keselowski's car. There will be some examples of beatings and bumps between two drivers after Keselowski's car is repaired and out of the garage. At the end of the race, Busch struggled against Jimmie Johnson to lead in the last 27 laps. Busch leads with 11 laps remaining, and defends it to win his first race since 2011, and first at Martinsville since 2002.
At Darlington, while running in the top five with 3 laps to go, Busch is tapped from behind by Clint Bowyer and turns around, hitting the obstacle directly. Due to the energy absorbing wall, Busch was not injured, but waved angrily towards Bowyer under warning and showed dissatisfaction with Bowyer in a post-race ceremony. Regarding the incident with Bowyer, Busch said "It was a terrible way to end the night that was supposed to be a decent night We struggled to get the balance from Haas Automation Chevrolet, but we found our place just past the midpoint and a bit of adjustment along the way We asked for the stop of two tires at the end hoping to get the track position but it seems everyone has the same idea We get a little, but the guys behind us all have four tires I try to hold them off the best I can, but somebody (Bowyer) moved me out of their way and it ruined our night I hate it for the team, but we keep on learning every week and we'll be better. "
At Coca-Cola 600, Busch in an attempt to complete 1,100 miles of Indianapolis 500 2014 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, emerged at a speed of 114 miles, blowing the engine with less than 30 laps remaining.
At Pocono Busch who qualified third. He led 5 laps throughout the race and ran in the top five all day. He finally finished third; his best finish since his victory at Martinsville.
In Daytona Busch qualifying 42nd; although Busch is leading most of the round. But he passed Aric Almirola on lap 111. 5 laps then rain-bathed soaked in lap lap 116 116 end the race. In an interview, disappointed Busch said, "I'm not doing my job, third is good, but I want to win." After the Busch race was sentenced to 10 points and Daniel Knost was fined $ 10,000 for the automotive part of the illegal window deliberately installed before the race. Busch chose not to appeal the penalty.
Because Daytona Busch is much better. He has five finishes in Pocono and Watkins Glen. Daniel Knost parted with Kurt Busch on the way to Chase and Knost was replaced by Tony Gibson. Knost was given to Busch's teammate, Danica Patrick. With Gibson as the head of his new crew, Kurt did much better, qualifying the rest of the race in the top ten. His best performance in the race during Chase was the seventh twice in Talladega and Phoenix.
2015
Busch started the season with a rough note on Sprint Unlimited 2015, when he was collected in 2 multi-car accidents. At the second Duel Budweiser, he ran behind Jimmie Johnson with nine laps remaining. He went under the yellow line due to an accident and fixed his place. He was given a stop-and-go-penalty by officials sending him back to the field for the final result.
On February 20, Busch was unlimitedly suspended by NASCAR after the Delaware family's court quoted "more likely than not" that Busch had abused his ex-boyfriend, Patricia Driscoll. The accusation came after the couple split up and he came to the Dover line and allowed himself to coach his bike without permission to use Busch's personal code. Regan Smith replaced it for the Daytona 500 along with races held in Atlanta and Las Vegas.
On March 11, NASCAR lifted Busch's unlimited suspension after prosecutors in Delaware decided that there was not enough evidence to file a criminal case against Busch, making him eligible to compete again, starting with CampingWorld.com 500 in Phoenix. Driscoll is now under federal indictment for fraud and misappropriating charitable donations for personal gain. In addition, Busch was given a waiver by NASCAR, making him still eligible for Chase if he won the race between then and autumn in Richmond. In his first race back from suspension, Busch finished fifth. At Auto Club, Busch won the pole and led the most laps (65), before being hit back into third because last lap by Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick. The race ended in controversy because, according to an online poll, 69% of fans suspect improvements in the fading rounds on the NASCAR section. NASCAR denies the allegations but not before the controversy broke out for the next few days after the race.
The following week in Martinsville, Busch led at the start of the race. He faded to the end of the tail field in the middle of the road. He got punished for moving the lane before the restart, but 20 laps later the official canceled the sentence.
Busch then took the checker after dominating performance in Richmond. Fighting Justin Allgaier and Jamie McMurray for a win over the last 100 rounds, Busch withdrew to win the race, his first win of the season.
Busch's second win came in a Michigan race that shortened the rain. In Sonoma, Busch dominated early, before completing his two younger sisters.
Busch will finish 8 points in the 2015 championship despite missing the first three races of the season, scoring 21 top 10 and 3 poles.
​​â € <â € <2016
Busch started the 2016 season taking home 10 finish places on Daytona 500 and winning two poles in a row for Atlanta and Las Vegas. However, he was given a pole position for the former in Atlanta because his brother, Kyle Busch, earned a place in qualifying but began dying-last after his time was banned for failing a post-qualifying examination. He got his first and only win of the season at Pocono, ironically the only race of the season when crew chief Tony Gibson was suspended. Busch has a very consistent season, breaking records to complete the final lap of success to start the year. However, his streak ended when he got his first DNF of the season during the 23rd race at Bristol after having contact from Joey Logano. He stays at the top ten points throughout the year and finishes 7th in the championship standings.
2017
Stewart-Haas Racing turned to Ford for the 2017 season, a manufacturer that has not won a Cup championship since Busch's 2004 campaign with Roush.
Busch started in 2017 with a collision in Clash Auto Parts Advance after Jimmie Johnson freed and spun, collecting Busch. A week later, Busch won the Daytona 500, passing Kyle Larson in the last round. Busch fought for the rest of the year with 7 Dnf with top 5 5 and 14 top 10 and finished 14th in the standings.
2018
In the summer of 2017, Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing appeared to struggle to re-sign Busch when it was announced that SHR did not "take the option" to sign Kurt again. Nevertheless, Kurt and SHR signed a 1 year contract for Kurt to continue driving their # 41 Ford in 2018. Busch started the 2018 season with a pole in Texas, and again in Michigan.
NHRA
Busch began training in January 2011 under veteran NHRA Pro Stock Allen Johnson manager and secured a NHRA Stock Exchange competition license. He made his drag racing competition debut on March 10th at the Tyranya Kingdom Kingdom Tycoon in Gainesville. On March 12, Busch qualified for Pro Stock, and made his first professional drag race Elimination-lap began on 13 March, losing to Erica Enders by 0.004 seconds. Busch is only the third driver to cross between NASCAR and NHRA, the other two being Richard Petty and John Andretti.
Open wheel racing
In 2003, during the CART pre-season test at Sebring International Raceway, Busch tested the Champ Car for three-time CART champion Bobby Rahal. Ford, the manufacturer of Busch in Winston Cup at the time, was the exclusive supplier of CART machines, and the test was just for fun rather than evaluation. Driving a car deployed to Michel Jourdain, Jr. (who later tried NASCAR), Busch was pleased with the experience, although he was seconds away from the time of Aviator Oriol Servia.
In 2013 it was announced that Busch would test IndyCar for Andretti Autosport, owned by 1991 CART champion Michael Andretti, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Andretti, the defending champions, used the Chevrolet engine, as did the Row Racing Furniture Block team in the Sprint Cup. Busch did not comment on whether he was preparing for the Indianapolis 500. In January 2014 he insisted that he was interested in competing at the Indianapolis 500.
It was announced on March 4, 2014 that Busch will attempt to qualify for the 2014 Indianapolis 500, driving a fifth car for Andretti Autosport team, and attempting to do double duty: racing at the Indianapolis 500 and Coca Cola 600 on the same day.
Busch started on the 12th in Indy 500. After driving throughout the race, Busch became more competitive. He finished sixth and received praise from fellow NASCAR riders to finish it. However, his efforts to do the full 1100 miles of both races ended a brief 191 miles when the engine in his Charlotte car exploded on lap 273.
Other races
On October 21, 2014, Busch announced it would race in Race of Champions 2014 for Team USA with Ryan Hunter-Reay IndyCar. He also competed with his brother Kyle Busch at the Race of Champions 2017 for Team USA NASCAR, eventually losing to German Tim Sebastian Vettel in the last round of the Nations Cup.
Controversy
Roush Racing Incident
Phoenix DUI 2005
The 2005 season Busch ended two shorts after a confrontation during the fall of the Phoenix race weekend with representatives of the Maricopa County Sheriff on November 11, 2005, when he was withdrawn on suspicion of drunk driving and was cited for reckless driving. Initially, the Sheriff's department claimed that their equipment for quiet testing had failed and they were unable to release the drunken driving test results. The claim was later proved wrong, but at the moment, Roush Racing responded two days later by delaying Busch for the rest of the season and replacing him with Kenny Wallace for the last two races. Team leader Geoff Smith famously stated that they "officially retired as defender Kurt Busch." Busch eighth in the Chase Cup Series for Championships at the time of the incident. He was sentenced to serve 50 hours of community service to be completed within a year. In November 2006, one year after the incident, Busch was declared an honorary deputy in Maricopa County.
Penske Racing
incident2007 All-Star Challenge
At NEXTEL All-Star Challenge 2007, Busch suffered a breakdown in relationships with his younger brother, Kyle. With ten laps to go in the event, Busch race each other, their car made contact; finally their contacts resulted in two disruptions to win. Kevin Harvick went to win the show; but the center of attention and media is at the hostility of Kurt and Kyle. Kyle and Kurt were very angry at each other during the post-race ceremony, and argued on the pit road. When Kurt was interviewed he stated he "would not eat [Kyle's sponsors] Kellogg soon", and said that Kyle fought dirty. When Kyle was interviewed, he said that he wanted to get Kurt clean and Kurt pushed his car for no reason. The following week when they refused to make peace, NASCAR had officials separating them for the rest of the season to avoid incidents on the track or off the beaten track. The brothers had not spoken to each other for six months; It was not until the Thanksgiving family reunion, by the persuasion of their grandmother, Kurt and Kyle Busch apologized to each other.
Richmond 2011 race
During the Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Busch continued his indecent rant on his car radio which seemed to be directed at Penske's engineering director Tom German. Busch reportedly dissatisfied with Germany and at one point during the race said "I'm sorry, our day was over when Tom Germany decided he was responsible".
During September 10, 2011 Wonderful Pistachio 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Busch locked up his brakes and accidentally destroyed Jimmie Johnson in round 186. While it is clear that Kurt had no intention of bumping into him, Jimmie Johnson did not see him that way; and then replied to Busch's spin off to Turn 1 sixty laps later and parked for the balance of the race. Busch ends in fifth place and is called Johnson "A five chump-ion time."
In a post-race interview, Busch was quoted as saying to ABC that he was "at the head of [Johnson],". He had to be arrested after the race when NASCAR.com reporter Joe Menzer asked "Kurt, can you or Jimmie win Chase...". Busch cut Menzer to answer, "How do I see you will come up with it? We're good." and started walking away. Busch finally cries out his cursing and physically leaves after Menzer before the Penske team members have to hold him physically. Jenna Fryer then in a press conference asked Johnson about the comments during ABC's post-race interview, Busch interrupted, "I did not say that tonight. Fryer offered to show him the ABC transcript, which he saw after the interview. Busch began ripping transcripts indicating that he had made this statement and left the media center.
2011 Loudon
At the beginning of Sylvania 300 on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Busch's team was delayed in rolling their car into the pit road until after the national anthem. During pre-race car inspections, NASCAR has a problem with rear housing that is outside of tolerable tolerances. Jamie Little, walking by Busch, asks if he's okay with her asking a question. Busch replied, "Why do you think I'll be okay, I have to get in my car NASCAR says I have to get in my car."
2011 Homestead-Miami
In the final race of the 2011 season, Busch completed 47 laps behind the leaders, having spent time in the garage for a mechanical problem developing in the first five laps. Upon switching to the garage, Busch made an indecent hand gesture. While his car improved, Busch cursed Dr Jerry Punch while waiting to be interviewed by Punch for ESPN, in an incident captured by a fan and posted on YouTube. NASCAR fined Busch $ 50,000 for his actions during the race, and Penske Racing issued an apology for Busch's "inappropriate behavior".
In December 2011, he announced that he saw a sports psychologist, acknowledging "I need to be a better person on the radio, for the team, as a leader.It's a personal matter, of course, and working with a sports psychologist, I'm clear hold small, but obviously there are bigger things that I have to finish and things can not happen overnight. "
Penske Racing and Busch then agreed to split up, though many in the sport believed he was fired.
Phoenix Racing
Darlington 2012 confrontation with Ryan Newman
With six laps remaining in Bojangles' Southern 500, Busch cut the tire and then caused an accident involving not only his car but also Ryan Newman. As he left his pit (right in front of Newman), Busch made a blackout and drove next to where the crew members and NASCAR officials stood. Following the conclusion of the race, upon entering the pit road, Busch crashed into Newman's car. Busch describes the incident as an accident and unrelated, caused by releasing his helmet and not seeing where he was going. Andrew Rueger, gas man of Newman, chases Busch after the race. This turned into a hot argument, inadvertently dropping a NASCAR official. Newman, gave an interview to Sports Illustrated, quoted as saying, "It's easy to say that Kurt blew up the fuse again, I'm not sure why he did it and tried to run over our people and NASCAR officials. I think the chemical imbalance speaks for itself.Kurt drilled me in the pit lane and said that he took off his helmet, and he did not see where he was going I'm pretty sure there are 42 other people who take off their helmets and do anything for 10 "On May 15, 2012, NASCAR announced that Busch had been fined $ 50,000 and placed on probation until July 25, 2012 for" reckless driving on pit road during the race "and for" engaging in contention with other competitors after the completion of the race. "
Nationwide 2012 race Dover
After the 5-hour Energy 200 200, Busch, who has been on probation following the quarrel over with Newman in Darlington, is furious with Justin Allgaier after a close call during the race. After the race, Bob Pockrass, a reporter with Sporting News, asked Busch whether he was on probation making an impact during the National Series race. Busch replied, "It's preventing me from beating you now because you're asking stupid questions, but because I'm on probation, I do not think it's worth saying." On June 4, NASCAR stopped Busch for the upcoming tire test and Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway, and extended its trial period on December 31, 2012. For the race, the Busch car was driven by David Reutimann, who finished 21 on the lead.
2012 Talladega
Busch No. 51 was parked in the lap of NASCAR 99 after Busch drove from a worker caring for his car, which had run out of gas and dropped behind Jamie McMurray by accident. He led the race before the accident and soon medical help came. Busch gets out of the car but realizes that his fuel tank is not completely empty and tries to drive it to the garage for repairs. When a medical bag was dragged by car and off NASCAR ordered Kurt to stop his car for medical help, but Busch did not reattach his helmet after he got out of the car and could not hear any command over the radio. His car ran out of gas only in turn 4 and NASCAR officials picked it up and parked the No. team. 51 for the rest of the race. Busch said goodbye to his team members because he was going to drive a car no. 78 for a multi-year deal after the race and when asked about the incident, Busch said that he ignored the order because he did not have his helmet and could not hear his crew chief's orders to stop. The NASCAR investigation that week proved that the appeal was correct and therefore they did not punish Busch further after parking.
Allegations and suspensions of domestic violence
On February 20, 2015, Busch became the first rider suspended for alleged domestic violence under the NASCAR rule because he was being investigated on charges that he had attacked his ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll during the Dover race weekend in September. As a result, he was suspended and replaced by Regan Smith in the Daytona 500 and two subsequent races after that. Although the allegations were never issued, NASCAR chief Brian France announced he would remain suspended until he completed the NASCAR recovery program.
On March 11, 2015 unlimited suspension was revoked by NASCAR.
Feud with rival rider
In the February 2006 edition of GQ Magazine, he was voted number three on their list of the ten most despicable athletes behind Barry Bonds and Terrell Owens.
During his early career, Busch was famous for being a rival to fellow driver Jimmy Spencer. In 2002 at Bristol, Spencer took the lead with 150 laps left in the race. With 56 laps left, Busch came to Spencer No.41 Dodge. After a small lump Spencer slowed and Busch got through it. Busch led the rest of the race and earned his first Sprint Cup victory. As Spencer completes the race, he sends the news via radio "We will never forget what happened today to everyone" in connection with the contact. In a post-race interview, Busch claimed that it was retaliation for a final move in Phoenix at the end of 2001 in which Spencer destroyed him trying to make a decoy. Spencer threatened to warn, "Jimmy never forgets."
In Indianapolis later in the summer of 2002, Busch raced in the top ten. He aggressively passed Spencer on lap 37. In return Spencer accidentally tapped Busch who then hit a 3-wall turn. Busch climbed out of his crushed car and until the paramedics came, whenever he saw Spencer driving behind him carefully, he pointed toward Spencer and repeatedly shouted at him. When interviewed, Kurt calls Jimmy Spencer "old elderly people who have [...] or I do not think he ever existed." Spencer replied, "Kurt has much to learn, and partly to control his mouth".
In the summer of 2003 in Michigan, Busch and Spencer ran again. After Spencer was accidentally destroyed by Busch, he was very angry. When the race ended, Spencer spotted Busch driving in the garage. Spencer reportedly entered the Busch window and pressed Busch on his face. Spencer was taken away, and Busch was taken to the hospital with a broken nose and tooth injury. The next morning NASCAR and Ultra Motorsports stated that Spencer will be parked for the Cup race at Bristol next weekend as a consequence. A week before the race, Spencer was also fined $ 35,000 and undergo a trial period for the rest of the year. Spencer was almost arrested by police on charges of assault until NASCAR promised to deal with it. After this incident, Spencer and Busch were not involved with each other on the track. In 2013, Busch and Spencer announced that they are now close friends and no longer have a grudge against each other.
In Charlotte in 2002 running Winston, Busch was involved in a row with Robby Gordon. In the final segment of the race, Busch tapped Gordon no. 31 Chevy, tossed it against the wall. After the race, Busch admitted that he deliberately turned Gordon to "do a good show." and added that he "hates using Robby as a warning." Kurt was fined $ 10,000 by NASCAR for the incident and underwent a trial period until the end of the calendar year.
Aside from Spencer and Gordon, Busch has a famous run-in with Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, teammates Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, and even with Kyle's sister, whom he retold in the Nationwide Series in 2012.
On June 4, 2007 at Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway, after a dispute with Stewart on lap 264, Busch drove alongside Stewart's car in the pit road, and beckoned through his net window causing pit crew members to jump over Stewart's hood to avoid being hit. Busch was parked for the rest of the race, sentenced to 100 championship points, fined $ 100,000, and placed on probation until the end of the year.
Busch will be tangled with Stewart again the following season. During the practice for Shooting Budweiser 2008 in Daytona, Stewart cut the back end of Busch's car and sent Busch to the wall. After major damage Busch drove to Stewart's car and crashed into Stewart's car three times before trying to get back to the garage after the drill was called. Stewart had stopped his car in an attempt to block Busch from returning to the garage area, but Busch toured Stewart.
In 2013 Busch and Stewart had another argument in Richmond. At the end of restart Busch piloted by Stewart, who then loose and lost 15 positions. After the race ended with Busch in the ninth, Stewart made contact with Busch to express his displeasure and another lump crushing Kurt's car. While Harvick celebrates victory on the track, Stewart and Busch start arguing that turns the fans' attention to arguments rather than the Harvick victory. Busch says he just rode Stewart cleanly on the last lap and was satisfied with his success for his new Row Furniture team. The following season, Busch was hired to drive a team owned by Stewart.
Busch also has a bitter history with Kevin Harvick. They competed in carnivals and go kart tracks as teenagers and often struggled since 2001. Their hostilities reached boiling point in spring 2006. At Bristol in 2006, Harvick spent time with the riders and his pre-race interview mocked Busch. following a feud in Atlanta. Busch ignored the humiliation and won the race, while Harvick ended in second place. When Harvick was interviewed after the race ended, he said that he was happy with his performance but said he was very annoyed to see Busch win, before calling Busch as "coward." Richard Childress later apologized for the comments of his driver and NASCAR gave Harvick a warning not to target Busch. In 2007 when Harvick won two Busch-dominated races like the Daytona 500 2007, and the All-Star Race 2007, Busch said the same about Harvick: "I hate losing Kevin." Ironically, in 2014, with both drivers moving from their previous team to Stewart-Haas Racing, Busch and Harvick became teammates with Stewart.
On June 21, 2009 at Toyota Save-Mart 350, Busch was involved in an accident with Jimmie Johnson. Three weeks later at Chicagoland Speedway, both Johnson and Busch were involved in another incident where they collided with each other. Busch then retaliated by bumping into Johnson's car in the door area shortly after contact. More than a year later, Busch was involved in an accident on lap 165 in the August Pocono race after colliding with Johnson. His body parts were overshadowed by Elliott Sadler's violent attacks on the inner wall in the same accident. Busch and Johnson were also involved in the last round of the Pocono August 2011 race in which both made contact when fighting for third place. Both will exchange words on the pit road after the race.
Then in September 2011 when Busch was racing in the fall of Richmond race after he and Johnson were told to settle after Pocono; Busch deliberately made contacts that resulted in Johnson spinning in smoke. Nearly 60 laps later, Johnson waited for Busch to re-encircle the track and deliberately responded by making contacts that resembled the previous round. Although it looks like Busch will avoid the collision result, Busch spins while avoiding other cars during contact. Johnson was black-flaged for several rounds because radio communications proved that Busch's first contact with Johnson was unintentional.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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