Kyle Busch’s brother Kurt Busch received a 60-day jail sentence for DUI after being arrested in August
Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch’s brother, has pleaded guilty to his arrest in August for DUI (driving under the influence). Per veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass via TMZ, Busch received a 60-day suspended jail sentence with a year of unsupervised probation.
Busch is a 46-year-old American professional racecar driver who won one NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2004. His last stint in the premier series was with 23XI in 2022 before he had to step back from the track due to a head injury. The following year, he announced his retirement from full-time competition.
According to reports, Kurt Busch was arrested last August 14 in North Carolina after he was accused of speeding and reckless driving while under the influence. During the breath test, the Las Vegas native reportedly returned a BAC of.17, which is about over two times beyond the 0.08 limit in the US.
The Iredell County, N.C., court prosecutors have reportedly dropped the reckless driving and speeding charges against him in exchange for him pleading guilty. He was given a 60-day suspended jail sentence for 12 months while under unsupervised probation.
Moreover, the former NASCAR driver must complete 24 hours of community service and pay a community service fee. With the nature of his arrest, he must surrender his driver’s license, per reports.
In a statement by Kurt Busch, he took full responsibility for his actions, saying:
“I take full responsibility for my recent DWI arrest and deeply regret my actions.”
Kurt Busch said he cooperated with the trial process from start to finish.
“I voluntarily completed a pre-trial assessment and followed all recommendations ahead of my court date,” the 2004 NASCAR champ stated.
Busch concluded by saying racing is still in his mind for the future.
“I’m committed to making amends, ensuring this never happens again, and returning to racing with a renewed focus. Thank you to everyone who has supported me.”
With his driver’s license suspended, it is still unclear how it will affect his return to racing. However, the court official reportedly said the former driver can return to court and apply for limited driving privileges.
Kurt Busch’s NASCAR Cup Series career
While the details of Kurt Busch’s plan to return to racing are still scarce, let’s take a look back at his career in the Cup Series. Busch won 34 races across different teams, including Roush Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, and 23XI Racing.
His latest victory was with Michael Jordan’s Mooresville-based outfit at the Kansas Speedway in 2022. Driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry, Busch held off defending champion Kyle Larson to win the race.
Perhaps the highlight of his career was the 2004 season when he won a NASCAR Cup Series championship. Competing against the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson for the title, Busch beat Johnson by eight points in the final standings.
Busch’s final race was at Pocono Raceway in 2022, where he crashed during the qualifying session and wasn’t medically cleared to return to racing.