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CHARLOTTE, NC — Kurt Busch was back on the track Friday. He plans to race this weekend in Phoenix, and he also plans to get past the domestic violence accusations following him.
“Boot him out!” said Rudy Deatrick.
Β Another NASCAR fan, Marva Maison, rebutted, “Come on! These are humans!”
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Fans now divided when usually they surround the man they call The Outlaw. They say Busch has a “bad boy” persona on and off the track.Β
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NASCAR fined him $50,000 in 2011 for verbally abusing a reporter.
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Now, police in Delaware are investigating Busch after his ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, told police he assaulted her in his motor home after a race on September 28 in Dover.
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“I’ll be in the wait-and-see camp,” said Earl Medford.Β
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In a statement to WCCB Charlotte, Busch’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, wrote:Β “This allegation is a complete fabrication by a woman who has refused to accept the end of a relationship, and Mr. Busch vehemently denies her allegations in every respect.”
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Driscoll’s attorney, Carolyn McNeice, responded in a phone call to WCCB Charlotte, “We dispute that the allegations are fabricated. That’s for the court to decide.”
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Stewart Haas Racing, headquartered in Kannapolis, wouldn’t return messages to comment on how it will handle the domestic assault investigation.
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Β “They should be punished for the crime itself, which is domestic violence, but their livelihood should not be a part of it,” said Maison. “It’s unfair that, because people are in the public eye, it becomes an issue, ‘Oh, he should be terminated; this should be done to him.’.”
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Β At the dirt track in Concord, fans think NASCAR should suspend Busch immediately.Β “Sit down. Go away until you prove your innocence,” said Deatrick.
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NASCAR says it’s gathering information from all parties before announcing whether Busch will race.
