Reigning Daytona 500 champ Dale Earnhardt Jr. appears in new Chevy TV ad that debuts Sunday during the race. Kurt Bush is nowhere in sight.
NASCAR has indefinitely suspended driver Kurt Busch for “actions detrimental to stock car racing” following the release today of the findings and conclusions that formed the basis for the Family Court of the State of Delaware’s decision on Monday to issue an Order of Protection from Abuse against him. Bush, or should we say bush league, was a contender for the Daytona 500 on Sunday.
It was the latest example of sports crime, but given the NFL’s, the NCAA’s and local and state police flagrantly ignoring domestic violence and other criminal actions by athletes, sanctioning bodies and lax law enforcement agencies – under heavy media, fan and blog scrutiny – are changing their previous “look the other way” practices.
In a terse statement, Bush’s main sponsor quickly reacted: “Chevrolet has suspended its relationship with Kurt Busch indefinitely. We will continue to monitor the events surrounding Mr. Busch and are prepared to take additional action if necessary.”
NASCAR was equally clear “Given the serious nature of the findings and conclusions made by the Commissioner of the Family Court of the State of Delaware, NASCAR has indefinitely suspended driver Kurt Busch, effective immediately. He will not be allowed to race nor participate in any NASCAR activities until further notice.
“Kurt Busch and his Stewart-Haas Racing team are fully aware of our position and why this decision was made. We will continue to respect the process and timetable of the authorities involved,” NASCAR said.
Busch, driver of the No. 41 car, was found to be in violation of:
Section 12.1.a: Actions detrimental to stock car racing
Section 12.8: Behavioral Penalty
Bush subsequently lost an appeal to NASCAR.
