Regan Smith to fill in again for Kurt Busch at Atlanta
Regan Smith will be in the No. 41 car for a second straight week.
Stewart-Haas Racing said Smith would fill in for Busch again after he finished 16th in Sunday’s Daytona 500. Smith was named the replacement driver for Busch at Daytona on Saturday after Busch was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on Friday. The indefinite suspension came after a Delaware county commissioner said that it was more likely than not that Busch committed an act of abuse against ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll.
The commissioner’s decision came after a proctection order was granted against Busch. The two parties engaged in a hearing over the course of December and January regarding Driscoll’s request for the restraining order.
Smith, who drives for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, subbed for Tony Stewart in 2014 at Watkins Glen after Stewart struck and killed Kevin Ward at a dirt track in upstate New York.
SHR said that a driver for Las Vegas or any other Cup races has not been determined. Team co-owner Gene Haas’ company sponsors Busch’s car because of his desire to have Busch on his team.
Busch appealed the suspension twice to NASCAR on Saturday and lost both.
“We are unhappy with the latest decision to deny our re-appeal, but we will continue to exhaust every procedural and legal remedy we have available to us until Kurt Busch is vindicated,” his attorney Rusty Hardin said in a statement after Busch lost his final appeal to NASCAR. “Along the way we intend to continue to call attention to the facts and witnesses that will shed light on Ms. Driscoll’s true character, motivations and history.”
– – – – – – –
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!
