Dover police investigating allegation of domestic assault against Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch is being investigated by the Dover, (Del.) Police Department for allegations of domestic assault.
Busch’s ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, filed the claims Nov. 5, according to the police department. Per court documents obtained by the AP, Driscoll said the alleged assault happened on Friday, Sept. 26. The Sprint Cup Series was in Dover that weekend and Busch was eliminated from the Chase after the race on Sunday, Sept. 28.
The Dover PD issued a statement confirming the investigation Friday.
The documents, filed Wednesday, say Busch was despondent the night of Sept. 26 after his poor performance at the qualifying race.
“He was verbally abusive to her and said he wished he had a gun so that he could kill himself,” the documents say.
Driscoll said Busch, 36, called her names and accused her of “having spies everywhere and having a camera on the bus to watch him.” He then jumped up, grabbed her face and smashed her head three times against the wall next to the bed, the documents say.
The AP story says that Busch and Driscoll had ended their relationship, which began in 2011, approximately a week earlier. Driscoll also says in her claim that she ran from Busch’s motorhome, where the alleged incident occurred, and went to a nearby bus.
She is also seeking a protection order against Busch and requesting that he receive a psychiatric evaluation. A hearing is set for Dec. 2.
Through a statement from attorney Rusty Hardin, Busch denies the allegations and said they were a complete fabrication. Hardin has represented Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens.
“The Dover Police Department has been informed that Mr. Busch will fully cooperate with their investigation and he expects to be vindicated when the entire truth of the situation comes to light,” Hardin’s statement said. “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. At this time we intend to have no further comment in the media out of respect for the Dover Police Department’s desire to conduct a thorough investigation without a media circus.”
Stewart-Haas Racing, Busch’s team, said it was gathering facts Friday afternoon before Hardin’s statement was issued after the first practice session of the day.
NASCAR also issued a statement.
After finishing eighth at Texas last week, Busch is 14th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Before the race at Texas, Stewart-Haas Racing switched the teams of he and teammate Danica Patrick in an effort to prepare for 2015.
The Cup Series races at Phoenix on Sunday. In 2005, Busch was suspended for the final two races of the year while at Roush Racing following a driving incident while leaving the track. Busch was ultimately cited for reckless driving. Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, was set to leave Roush at the end of the season and join Team Penske for 2006.
In 2011, after an outburst towards an ESPN reporter at the final race of the season, Busch said he began working with a sports psychologist.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
