“That was a blessing”: When Kurt Busch made his feelings known about Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wife Amy's scary plane crash
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s survived a scare a few years back in August 2019 when he got involved in a plane crash with his wife and daughter. Reflecting upon the incident, 2004 Cup Series Champion Kurt Busch expressed his feelings on the family not being seriously injured in the incident.
Kurt Busch and his wife Ashley van Metre were featured in the interview with 'People' and opened up about the horrific event. Busch was surprised by Earnhardt Jr.'s passion and desire to go out and race at the Darlington Race held on August 31, 2019.
"It’s just like wow! It shows the passion, the desire and the fire that’s within him still to go out there and face. He’s been an amazing ambassador for our sport," Busch said.
The former NASCAR Cup Series driver did not know the specific details about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s crash, but he mentioned that it was "miraculous" that the then-44-year-old, his wife Amy, and their daughter Isla Rose walked away with no major injuries.
“That was a blessing, and I’m glad that everybody got out safe," stated Kurt Busch.
"Thank God, that’s all I can say. Thank God,” his wife added.
Ashley van Metre highlighted that she reached out to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s wife Amy, stating:
"Everybody is so competitive, but at the end of the day, people really do care about each other."
Despite the accident, the co-owner of JR Motorsports competed at the 2019 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at the Darlington Raceway while Kurt Busch competed in the Cup Series race at the same venue.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch's Darlington performances in August-September 2019
Dale Earnhardt Jr. competed in the Xfinity Series race held at the Darlington Speedway on August 31, 2019, after walking out of the accident unharmed. He ran in the #8 Chevy for his team, JR Motorsports, and qualified for the race in P14 with a top speed of 166.964 mph.
Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney won the pole position in his Ford Mustang, achieving a top speed of 171.369 mph and leading Earnhardt Jr. with a 0.757-second gap. Blaney led the first 15 laps of the race and then gained the lead again in the final stretch.
Stewart Haas Racing driver Cole Custer won the race, earning 52 points and 12 bonus points. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended the race in fifth position, earning 41 points and nine additional bonus points.
Kurt Busch also competed in the Cup Series race at the Darlington Speedway on September 1, 2019. He qualified for the race in P4, and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron led the pack on the grid. The latter finished stage one in P2 and stage 2 in P1. But in the final stage, he dropped seven spots and finished seventh behind Clint Bowyer.