Opinion : Kurt Busch and Reinstatement – Why Was It So Swift?

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I don’t often get fired up about things in NASCAR, but today I did. The news that NASCAR had reinstated Kurt Busch without him going through their rehabilitation program and the driver’s smug interview upon that reinstatement has my blood boiling. Let me say this. I’ve met Kurt Busch and liked him. In fact, I was thrilled when he won the championship. I saw a driver who was so talented that I thought he would win many, but things happened and that’s the story I want to tell, or at least explain.

Fast forward to a few years later. Busch decided he would fare better at Team Penske. He was under contract at Roush Racing, but that was his desire. Something happened at Phoenix, and he got arrested. At that point Jack Roush had decided it was enough and Kurt wouldn’t race until the next year. He went with Penske and after a few minor problems, threw it all away when he attacked the beloved Dr. Jerry Punch in a fan video when he really didn’t want to talk to the ESPN cameras and caused Roger Penske to remove him from his team. After everyone thought he was through, he got a temporary job with a lesser team and finally got picked up by Gene Haas to drive his self-sponsored car in quest of a championship. I know you know the rest of the story. Regardless of the he said, she said story, any reasonable person has to think that this is a very troubled person, but what got me fired up is the attitude of the industry upon his reinstatement.

NASCAR is steeped in male attitude. I listened to SiriusXM radio at times I was in the car and the opinion of most fans and even the hosts is that nothing was proved and that he should be reinstated, even last week. I shake my head. In this year of 2015, when the NFL and the NBA treat this issue so seriously, the NASCAR heads reinstate someone who obviously has anger problems and pretty much said, “all is forgiven, come back beloved son.” Maybe it’s because he drives for a sponsor who doesn’t care (the car owner), or maybe it’s just that people just don’t care when violence against women by a man is always, he against she. A family judge, an impartial party, says there was reason to believe that Busch did touch Patricia Driscoll but that apparently means nothing to NASCAR. Is it always the fact that a prosecutor doesn’t think he can get a conviction the only barometer? So we have to always forgive the lack of races from our stars so they can qualify for the Chase. I can bet that if your favorite team lost their star quarterback, that the rules would be changed. I shake my head.

It really hasn’t been a slow news year so far. With Kurt Busch being suspended hours before the Daytona 500 and Kyle Busch getting injured in the Xfinity race at Daytona, it’s been a wild year. Lost in all of this is what has happened on the track. The new rules have created an alarming situation. The two races created two runaways with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick dominating. Is this the pattern for the season? We will soon see, and it overshadows the Kurt Busch problem. When you only have 18 leaders on the lead lap, I’d call that a problem.

Comments

13 responses to “Opinion : Kurt Busch and Reinstatement – Why Was It So Swift?”

March 15, 2015

Ed

Could be that NASCAR finally decided that Marco Andretti was completely correct and that their suspension of Kurt Busch was a complete knee jerk reaction.

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March 13, 2015

Michael Finley

Both sides have plenty of holes in their arguments. Patrica said some things that seemed odd and she does have a questionable background but both of those things can be said about Kurt as well. I doubt we’ll ever know what really happened.

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March 13, 2015

Robert Eastman

Obviously, if Ms. Driscoll’s complaint was valid, she would have immediately gone to the police to file charges instead of waiting 6 weeks to do so. The MRO pastor testified under oath that she had no visible signs of abuse/attack immediately after “the incident. The ruling Commissioner even said that Ms. Driscoll lied under oath about the pastor, which in a “real Court of Law” would have ‘negated” her entire testimony!
ABUSE IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER that can/does damage innocent victims for life, but
the FACT that Ms. Driscoll posted a YouTube BIO that states, “She will destroy anyone who dares to cross her”… pretty much sums it all up, She IS a vengeful scorned women!

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March 13, 2015

Ferris

Has it ever crossed your mind that the reason Kurt is back so soon is because the mental health professionals found little or nothing to rehab with regard to the “domestic violence” question? That after evaluating him, they found he didn’t have the propensity to participate in domestic violence? That the “experts” found him to be OK.

As far as Dr. Punch goes, he said in an interview, at the time, that he didn’t believe Kurt’s tirade wasn’t directed at him all. It was the result of wrecking his car, being out of the race, waiting on Dr. Punch for over 15 minutes to conduct the interview, just standing there, doing nothing, (not Dr. Punch’s fault as the producer kept telling Dr. Punch, not yet, not yet) and finally being told a part off his car had damaged the radiator of Stewart’s car and possibly knocked Stewart out of the race and the championship.

I get it that you and several so-called journalists have a bone to pick with Kurt. But yourself, the likes of McGee and some others are far worse than Kurt could ever be.

When Kurt blows, at least he does so in a moment of high emotion, frustration and disappointment. (And he is working on that)

When you and others sit down to trash him you do so with premeditated malice, choosing your words carefully, writing and rewriting, with a clear mind fully intent on causing as much damage as you can. Trying to influence your readers that this man should be removed from the sport.

You and Ryan McGee should get together and have a “trash Kurt” party.

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1. March 13, 2015
  
  Ron Fleshman
  
  I have no “crow” to pick with Kurt. In fact, I like him I many ways, and my only argument was only that I felt that the program laid out for Kurt was not finished, and from my sources, that is a fact. NASCAR decided that with no criminal charges filed, they should reinstate him, give him a golden ticket to get into the Chase and forget what happened. It’s my opinion, but nothing more that it was too swift and should have been taken slowly, like with A.J. Allmendinger and his failed drug test. Of course, A.J. was not a star, at least a big one. Sorry I ruffled so many feathers.
  
  Reply
March 13, 2015

Jeff C

Really and you call yourself a writer? Write the facts and don’t let you feeling into the article. I won’t be reading any of your future “crap”.

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1. March 13, 2015
  
  Ron fleshman
  
  It was an opinion piece. That’s my opinion. Whether you agree or not, I am entitled to that, right?
  
  Reply
  1. March 14, 2015
    
    Ferris
    
    You are. And your readers are entitled to their opinions.
    
    Reply
    1. March 14, 2015
      
      Ron Fleshman
      
      Agreed.
      
      Reply
March 13, 2015

Alice

Well Ron, your article made my blood boil. “Attack” regarding Punch..please. Your whole take on the Patty Driscoll drama is sad. Sad, that you don’t get it at all. And this is coming from a non KUBU fan.

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March 13, 2015

Lewis

Kurt was innocent of any wrongdoing. He was a victim of a vicious and vindictive woman. She had a plan to wreck Kurts career. She followed him to Deleware illegally broke into his home with her child in tow. Her motive? Put herself into a position where she could claim he abused her. Then go to family court where the default decision is always in favor of the woman. The whole episode was a fraud. Pure and simple. Lew

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March 13, 2015

Richard

Well Ron I see that being you’re supposedly a writer you would rather convict someone in the courts of public opinion then a court of law. Tell me how can some commissioner say openly that Patricia lied but at the same time think her story is more credible, isn’t that a oxcymoron.

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March 13, 2015

Rick Kaufman

I believe you’re out of touch on this. Kurt’s interview wasn’t “smug”.
How do you now he hasn’t completed the requirements? Sound like he did to me.
3rd It’s has been made very clear his reinstatement terms “leave him on thin ice” from OD

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