Kurt Busch cleared to return to NASCAR, team announces he will race Sunday

Kurt Busch has been cleared by NASCAR and will race Sunday in Phoenix. (Getty Images)
Kurt Busch has been cleared by NASCAR and will race Sunday in Phoenix. (Getty Images)
Kurt Busch has been cleared by NASCAR and will race Sunday in Phoenix. (Getty Images)

NASCAR has cleared driver Kurt Busch to return to competition. NASCAR released a statement just after noon Wednesday although he will remain under indefinite probation and be subject to additional mandatory requirements that NASCAR said includes, but are not limited to participation in a treatment program and full compliance with any judicial requirements placed upon him.

The statement said that the decision to lift the suspension was made by NASCAR after Kurt Busch: Complied with all requirements in its reinstatement program; Completed the mandatory behavioral assessment sessions; and the behavioral health care expert who conducted the sessions recommended to NASCAR that Kurt Busch be allowed to return to competition. NASCAR said Busch now will undergo additional steps to address the behavior for which he was penalized.

Last Thursday the Delaware Attorney General’s office said that no charges will be filed in the domestic battery complaint involving his ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. The complaint was originally filed by Driscoll last November. Driscoll won a no-contact order involving Busch in a separate civil action in a Delaware court last month. NASCAR suspended the driver in February MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.