He won 34 races in the highest order of stock car racing and was named the 2004 Cup Series champion, also winning the Daytona 500 in 2017. But for all that he accomplished on the track, Kurt Busch always found trouble with the media and fellow contenders. An entire season has passed by since the 45-year-old announced his retirement from driving. The one question that still surrounds him is how his legacy will be remembered by future generations.
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Nicknamed the Outcast for his outbursts to the media, he found himself sitting on top of multiple probations and fines throughout his career.
One of the most memorable of his altercations with the press was when he hurled multiple abuses at ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch in the 2011 season finale. Busch was fined $50,000 for his language and attitude. The race was his last with his then-team Team Penske. It was also the second time that he had been fired by a major team. The first was when Jack Roush took him out in 2006.
Another incident that will be clubbed with his name to the very end will be the one involving his former girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. After their break-up in 2014, Driscoll had driven to a Cup Series race in which Busch was to participate. After visiting the driver in his motorcoach at the track in Dover, she alleged that he had physically abused her. The Delaware court ruled him guilty and issued a protective order against him in 2015. NASCAR issued a 3-race probation against him for his actions.
Kurt Busch’s redemption and journey as a mentor to young drivers
Fortunately, the 2015 ruling was the last time Busch found himself in serious trouble. After being fired by Team Penske, he found himself at his career’s rock bottom. He moved to an underfunded Phoenix Racing Team in 2012 and began his journey back to the top. He joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 and ended up winning the Daytona 500 in 2017, a much wiser and more mature person by that time.
Busch was brought to 23XI Racing to coach Bubba Wallace in 2021. He still finds himself in Michael Jordan’s garage giving his best to Wallace and Tyler Reddick. The question of whether this controversial journey of Busch deserves a Hall of Fame induction or not is a question best answered by the two-time champion Joey Logano’s words: “It’s a true statement of a champion that he is, is that he cares about the sport. He wants to leave it better when he got here. That’s Hall of Famer to me in my opinion.”
