History May Not Be Kind to Retired NASCAR Star Kurt Busch

• Kurt Busch arrived in 2000 with a temperamental, petulant, arrogant and combative attitude that often seemed to threaten his career at almost every turn.

• Busch won 34 races in his Cup career and captured the Cup Series championship in 2004.

• Busch’s rap-sheet is long and varied, and his run-ins with the media are legendary.

Editor's Note: This is the second of a two-part look at the racing life and times of NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, who announced his retirement from the sport this past week.

Kurt Busch is a cinch to make the NASCAR Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in a few years. His credentials are impressive: former Cup Series champion, former Daytona 500 winner, 34-time race winner, an accomplished talent no matter the length of the track or its layout, and a winner in all three of NASCAR’s top series.

But there were times when veteran NASCAR-watchers wondered whether the young Las Vegas native would hang around long enough to make anything of himself. He arrived in 2000 with a temperamental, petulant, arrogant and combative attitude that often seemed to threaten his career at almost every turn. It may be that history looks up on his missteps as much as his successes.

In the end, though, talent and maturity won out. Indeed, during his recent retirement announcement at Daytona International Speedway he sounded more like a settled and thoughtful elder statesman than what we endured early into his 23-year career.

“Racing at NASCAR’s highest level requires every last bit of focus, heart, stamina and determination,” Busch said. “Right now, I can’t give what is required to compete at that level, so I’m officially announcing my retirement. As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time as I did as a driver. I could have never imagined it growing up as a blue-collar kid in Las Vegas.”

Busch’s rap-sheet is long and varied. He was turned out by respected owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske. He was suspended from five races, two from Roush and three from NASCAR. He was fined $50,000 on two occasions and spent a dozen or more races on probation. His feuds with the media were legendary.

His first public blowup came near the end of 2005, when he was arrested for traffic violations near Phoenix. He was cuffed and detained on suspicion of drunk driving and cited for reckless driving. He refused to perform standard field sobriety tests, but submitted to a breath alcohol test that showed the presence of alcohol well below the legal limit.

The next day he released this apology. “I regret the incident that occurred,” he said. “It is important to understand that this citation is not alcohol related. I apologize to the Maricopa County sheriff's department for my actions. I admit I became a bit argumentative with the officer when he continuously insisted that I submit to a field sobriety test and a breath test, which I ultimately did. I regret that my actions, including saying some disrespectful things to the officer, made the situation worse.”

Busch pleaded the reckless driving charge down to speeding, paid an $850 fine, and agreed to perform 50 hours of community service. Roush took Busch from his No. 97 Ford for that weekend’s race and the season-finale at Homestead.

Busch did well enough during his 2006-2011 run with Team Penske, but never seriously challenged for the Cup. His only major outburst during those years was in the 2011 season-finale at Homestead, his last race with Penske. After a disappointing DNF, he spewed a series of profanities as ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch waited for network clearance. Punch finally gave up and walked away as Busch continued to fume and use foul language. That was so much over the line that NASCAR fined him $50,000 for “abusing the media.”