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Tag: domestic violence

  • Opinion: Driscoll vs. Busch …. True or Not, It Does Not Belong in the Motorsports Headlines

    Opinion: Driscoll vs. Busch …. True or Not, It Does Not Belong in the Motorsports Headlines

    I am tired of hearing all this crap about Kurt Busch allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and how she is in fear for her life and the safety of her child. Before we all jump on the hate Kurt Busch wagon because he is an abuser, let me let you in on a few things.

    Patricia Driscoll is a political lobbyist. She has the ears of every congress man/woman and every representative in Washington. She used those already in the campaign against Busch when the congress woman from California, Jackie Speier, attempted to influence the situation with Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR. She wasn’t the only one who got involved in something which was not a matter of public record until Driscoll made it such and there are a lot of irregularities in her story and her situation.

    Driscoll was not afraid for her life, not then and not now. How do I know this? Well for one if she was she would not have manipulated the court system to get custody of her son and then filed the complaint 10 weeks later. If she were truly afraid for herself and her son she certainly wouldn’t have waited another two weeks to file for an order of protection. If she had truly been brutally attacked and slammed face first into a wall with her child in the other room as she claims she would have sought medical attention, she did not.

    This step is very important in the progression of obtaining safety for both the victim and the child. This step includes photographs and interviews by medical professionals and law enforcement officials to document the situation and the occurrence. Without this step there is no documentation for a court of law to intervene on her behalf.

    Driscoll is very well aware of the procedures required in Domestic Violence situations. Yet she chose not to follow through with them. According to her it was to avoid complicating her custody battle with her ex husband. She was also very well aware that it would bring the situation to a he said she said situation with no documentation.

    Driscoll testified before family court with a modified version of her original story on Monday, December 16. She testified that Busch called her to the track (Dover) and when she arrived she found him lying on the floor crying and saying “he wished he had a gun so he could shoot himself”. She had her son stay in the other room as she got him off the floor and calmed down. Then she stated that they were in bed and he suddenly attacked her slamming her face into the wall of the motor coach. At that point she ran out of the coach, leaving her son in the coach with Busch, to a neighboring coach to get help.

    To be frank I am personally not sure it happened. Driscoll claims she was attacked by a drunk suicidal, Kurt Busch. However, in my experience, drunk and suicidal people are not attackers. Most lack energy and motivation. She claimed at that point she was in fear for her life. But she waited 10 weeks to file a complaint and then another two weeks to file for an order of protection. She is afraid for her and her sons safety and yet she left him alone in a motor coach with Busch at the point he was apparently the most violent. None of that makes sense unless the objective is to damage Busch’s reputation and destroy his career.

    The campaign she has launched against Kurt Busch continued in court when she sought to destroy the relationship with his employer and his teammates. Claiming he stated that Kevin Harvick got all of the good equipment all he had to do was whine. That Busch was upset with owner Tony Stewart for “throwing his career away by killing that kid in New York.” What is the purpose of that? Seriously the only thing she can hope to gain is to alienate him within the race community by linking his past actions to this situation and showing a progression to violence. (However, Busch has never thrown a punch publicly, that I could find documented anywhere.) When she does this she will affectively destroy his career. Granted, Busch his self contributed to his situation within the race community with his past actions.

    The bottom line in all this comes down to whether you believe her or not. I don’t, but whether you do or don’t it doesn’t change the fact Domestic Violence is a growing problem in our country and it’s not a closet situation anymore. It’s a very serious problem that ends tragically 60 percent of the time according to statistics published by the United States Attorney General’s office. With the football player being suspended indefinitely and the NFL getting knee deep involved in the situation it has become high profile. Sadly, it doesn’t change the fact that Domestic Violence is a sad and tragic thing. If Ms. Driscoll is manipulating the system, as she has already shown she has no problem doing, then she is as guilty as the abusers.

    False reports make it very difficult for those who have truly been victims of abuse. It makes people question whether the situation is what the victim claims it is. It makes it virtually impossible for orders of protection to be issued on the say so of the victim even with photographic proof. Although the order of protection will not protect the victim and that has been proven time and time again, there are cases in which it does. It is a part of the chain of events necessary to proceed in getting the victim help and stopping the abuser.

    Whatever, happened here does not need to be dragged through the media circus of NASCAR. The legal system needs to do its job without the politics and influence of outside agencies and political associates. The fans of our sport have been drug through enough dog and pony show antics from the media this year. They have been scarred, alienated and frightened. This situation needs to not be on the front page of every motorsports publication because the reality of the situation is, that like it or not, it is not a public issue just because Busch is a public figure.

    • About one in three American women have been physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives.
    • On average, nearly 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the US.
    • In 2006, 50 percent of all female murder victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2012)
    • One of the most frequent types of abuse in the United States is the use of a child to force compliance. According to Busch, Driscoll brought her son uninvited to his coach so he “could tell him the relationship was over.”
    • Driscoll did not file complaint until AFTER she admittedly manipulated the family court to gain custody of her son.
    • Pre court testimony Driscoll claimed son was not at the scene. In court she claimed he was present.
    • Driscoll had no reason to fear Busch. http://youtu.be/_MAbYIrniY4
    • Smear campaign against Busch very similar to what we see done to politicians by opponents during elections.
    • Driscoll did not seek medical attention at the time of the assault.
    • Driscoll did not seek law enforcement assistance.
    • Driscoll did not seek an order of protection until 12 weeks after the supposed attack. During which time Kurt Busch was completing the NASCAR season. Following which he began a racing tour in Europe.
    • Driscoll moved her office after the attack to Charlotte, North Carolina. Busch lives in Mooresville, NC, a suburb of Charlotte.
    • Driscoll claimed in court to be responsible for Busch’s PR and the rebuilding of his brand. However, NASCAR’s media guide lists Rory Connellan of True Speed Communications as his PR person and contact.
    • If you are in need of assistance in a Domestic Violence situation or you know of someone that is The Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 1800 799 SAFE (7233).

    Editors Note: Personal attack comments will not be tolerated. 

  • NASCAR Driver Travis Kvapil Example of Statistical Probability of Domestic Violence

    NASCAR Driver Travis Kvapil Example of Statistical Probability of Domestic Violence

    While the NASCAR community, drivers and fans alike, reacted with surprise, shock and dismay to learn of the spousal abuse charges filed against Travis Kvapil, the driver is sadly just one example of the statistical probability of domestic violence rearing its head, this time in the sport of NASCAR.

    In fact, statistics show that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and that an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

    So, with domestic violence being so prevalent in all walks of life, the statistical probability that this would occur in the sport of NASCAR should be no surprise. And sadly, Travis Kvapil’s wife Jennifer has now become one of those statistics.

    The news broke earlier this week when it was announced that Kvapil had been arrested by the Mooresville, North Carolina police and charged with assault and false imprisonment. Police responded to a 911 call to the Kvapil home, where they determined that an episode of domestic violence was serious enough to be considered a misdemeanor case of assault.

    Thankfully, in the Kvapil situation, the domestic violence statistics involving serious harm, where every day in the United States more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends, did not come to pass.

    According to the arrest report, obtained by both USA TODAY Sports and the Sporting News, Jennifer Kvapil suffered no serious injuries in spite of being allegedly struck in the head and pulled into her bedroom by her hair.

    After the incident, Kvapil was booked, held overnight in the Iredell County Jail and freed on a $2,000 bond after his court appearance. Kvapil is scheduled to return to court on November 19th, 2013.

    One of the domestic violence statistics that Kvapil has defied, at least to date, is the economic impact, as the cost nationally of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion per year. In Kvapil’s case he was cleared to compete in the Charlotte race by both the sanctioning body and by his team BK Racing.

    Both BK Racing and NASCAR, however, made clear that they did not condone what happened and would be carefully monitoring the progress of events, including his upcoming court case.

    “NASCAR does not condone the actions with which Travis Kvapil has been charged and we are disappointed to learn of this incident,” a NASCAR statement read. “We have been in close communication with the race team and are in the process of gathering as much information as possible.”

    “NASCAR takes this matter very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation as it moves forward.”

    “BK Racing understands the severity of the situation and we don’t condone the actions that Travis has been accused of,” Ron Devine, BK Racing team co-owner, said. “We feel it’s important to let the system take its course.”

    “For that reason, we have elected to support Travis and his family and keep Travis in the car for this weekend’s race,” the BK Racing statement continued. “Further comment will be available as additional information becomes available.”

    But even with the allowance of his sport and team to continue racing at least for this weekend, Kvapil acknowledged that further economic impact for him, his family, and the team may be yet to come.

    “I’m sure there’s certainly sponsors, the manufacturer, everybody is going to have to take a close look at this,” Kvapil said. “Obviously I represent a number of supporters of BK Racing, and I’m the face of that.”

    “Certainly there could be an impact there.”

    In addition to the statistically proven economic impact of domestic violence, Kvapil will also need to attend to a very important statistic related to his children, as up to 10 million children annually witness some sort of domestic violence, which can also lead to the perpetuation of violence as they grow into adulthood.

    Kvapil is currently not permitted to return to his home and his only contact with his wife and three children will be by phone or email.

    “I don’t want to downplay it, certainly,” Kvapil said. “It’s a serious situation, and we’re going to go through all the right courses and handle it correctly.”

    “This is a personal, family matter and I deeply regret what happened.”

    While Kvapil has asked for privacy so that he and his family can hopefully work out their issues as well as allowing the situation to move through the legal process, the issue has now become a very public one for him, his team and the sport.

    Much has been written about whether or not Kvapil should be allowed to race, however, the most important aspect of the situation has not yet been addressed.

    This situation, as difficult as it is, can also be an opportunity for all involved in the sport of NASCAR to highlight the issue of domestic violence and the help that is available for anyone in this situation.

    In fact, since October is Domestic Violence Awareness month and ironically, the BK Racing team was going to sport decals proclaiming this prior to the incident, all involved in the sport should take a moment to share the most important statistic, that domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender.

    As has been demonstrated in the Kvapil case, domestic violence can and does affect people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, even those who are followed and adored by many because they have the privilege of driving race cars for a living.

    The case of Travis Kvapil should remind everyone associated with the sport of NASCAR, drivers, teams, officials and fans alike, that although it can and has happened to someone intimately involved in the sport, help is available to anyone in this type of a situation.

    For further information about domestic violence or to get more involved in calling attention to the issue, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or the domestic violence organization in your home community.