NASCAR Richmond 2015 recap: Grateful Kurt Busch returns to winner’s circle

When Kurt Busch joined Stewart-Haas Racing before last season the mandate from team co-owner Gene Haas was straightforward: Win.

Busch did just that in 2014, except only once. More often than not potential victories went by the wayside because of mechanical failures, wrecks and an increasingly strained relationship with crew chief Daniel Knost.

Which is why shortly after Busch was eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff it came as no surprise when Tony Gibson, who had been Danica Patrick’s crew chief, replaced Knost. In Gibson, Busch had the exact kind of pit boss he thrived with throughout his career — old school and less reliant on engineers and computers to gauge when adjustments were needed.

Instantly Busch and Gibson clicked. In the final three races of 2014, Busch rolled off finishes of eighth, seventh and 11th, all seemingly setting the tone for even bigger things this season.

That promise, however, became threatened when Busch’s career nearly became derailed by events off the track.

Patricia Driscoll, Busch’s ex-girlfriend, filed a police report last fall alleging the 2004 Cup Series champion physically assaulted her inside his motor home Sept. 26 at Dover International Speedway. A lengthy and messy legal mess then ensued as Driscoll sought a restraining order.

During the four days of testimony in Delaware Family Court, Driscoll testified that Busch grabbed her around the neck and slammed her head three times against a bedroom wall. Busch denied any wrongdoing, but admitted to cupping Driscoll’s face.

The proceedings also featured Busch testifying that he believed Driscoll, whom he had broken up with the week before the alleged assault, was a government-trained assassin who had killed drug dealers around the world. It was the kind of sordid affair ready-made for tabloid news.

On Feb. 16, the same week as the season-opening Daytona 500, Family Court commissioner David Jones granted Driscoll’s request for a no-contact order against Busch. Then two days before the race Jones released his findings stating Busch “more likely than not” assaulted Driscoll.

Accordingly, NASCAR responded by indefinitely suspending its former champion. Marking the third time he had been banned in what had been a tumultuous career. The first suspension came in 2005 after an altercation with an Arizona police officer, with the second seven years later when Busch threatened a reporter.

But the latest incident was particularly damming. And despite being one of the best drivers in any motorsport discipline, Busch was facing the real possibility of his career being over.

Throughout the whole ordeal Haas stood by his driver saying he believed in Busch’s innocence. That faith was rewarded when the Delaware Attorney General’s office declined to press charges citing lack of evidence with NASCAR reinstating Busch a week later.

When Busch returned after a three-race absence it was as if he was never out of the No. 41 car. He nearly won his first race back and nearly did the same the next week. The only thing holding him back he admitted was “overdriving.”

“I think that I might have been driving too hard,” Busch said. “Too much of a chip on my shoulder, so to speak, to start the year.”

Nevertheless, it was only a matter of when — not if — that victory would finally come.

The answer was Sunday at Richmond International Raceway, where Busch decimated the field leading 291 of 400 possible laps to snap a 35-winless streak.

“The chip on my shoulder will now be a trophy that I get to carry out of here today,” he said.

Considering recent events, Sunday’s victory likely carried more significance than Busch’s previous 25 wins. The circumstances surrounding his suspension have largely taken a backseat, as it is his superb driving, not his too often mercurial behavior, now taking center stage.

“As I’m older I can appreciate it more because of the time and effort that it takes to assemble a good group of guys,” Busch said. “It’s the total team effort. Gibson has a great group of guys that he’s assembled over the years that are winners, and they’re ready to win, and here we are in victory lane, so I can appreciate it more so now.”

Not that just a single victory is going to suffice for Busch, as the decree Haas issued a year ago is still firmly embedded in his mind.

“Like Gene Haas said: ‘One win is great; I want four or five more,’” Busch said.