United States racer Kurt Busch was suspended by Roush Racing on Sunday for the final two races of the US stock car season after being charged with reckless driving on Friday.
Busch will miss the final races of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (Nascar) season at Phoenix on Sunday and next week near Miami. He was eighth in the points race with little hope of defending his series crown.
Busch was detained by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
”It’s the last straw for Roush Racing,” team president Geoff Smith said.
”We’re effectively retiring as Kurt Busch’s apologists.”
Busch admitted he made matters worse by being belligerent with authorities.
”I made the situation worse by saying some things I reget,” Busch said. ”I’m sorry for what happened. I’m upset. It’s tough. It’s unfortunate. That’s the decision they made and I will live with it.”
Busch was not charged with an alcohol-related violation after the mobile breathalyser machine at the speedway failed during the test. But his car is sponsored by a Canadian whiskey and Roush championed responsible drinking.
”If it was a matter that there was a speeding ticket or a ticket standing alone, that’s really not an issue of contract matter,” Smith said.
”It was the vituperative abusiveness to the officer, coupled with the circumstances of our alcohol sponsorship. We have some very strict sponsorship rules in place… We feel very strongly that those rules have been significantly breached. In the end we have to make a decision and get support from our sponsors. Let’s just say there was participation all the way around that Roush Racing didn’t want to be viewed as condoning the behavior and our sponsors certainly didn’t want to be viewed as condoning the behavior either.”
Busch noted in a statement he was not cited for an alcohol violation.
”It is important to understand that this citation is not alcohol related,” he said in an apology to police.
”Well, alcohol was not involved in the sense that there was no ticket issued for that,” Smith said.
”But the officer said in the preliminary breath test that he smelled alcohol on it… We believe what the officer said.
”The problem is this is a high-profile business. There’s a great burden on the athletes and on the teams in Nacscar to demonstrate that we are a cut above other sports with regard to our tolerance for misbehaviour.” – Sapa-AFP