Kurt Busch makes return, finishes 5th in first race back

After a three-week hiatus brought about when NASCAR suspended him indefinitely, Kurt Busch returned Sunday and finished fifth at Phoenix International Raceway.

In his first outing behind the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing car, Busch was competitive throughout the CampingWorld.com 500 regularly near the front. At one point in closing laps, he was challenging teammate and eventual winner Kevin Harvick for the lead.

“It’s great to be back and post a top-five finish in our first effort back,” Busch said. “It is a testament to the team and (crew chief) Tony Gibson. It was a pleasure to drive the car today. Lots of emotions, but had to keep those in check and focus on the racecar.”

Busch was suspended by NASCAR last month two days prior to the Daytona 500, following allegations he physically assaulted ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. She alleges Busch grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head three times against the wall in his motor home in an incident occurring Sept. 26 at Dover International Speedway.

A Delaware family court granted Driscoll an order of protection Feb. 16. Citing lack of evidence, the Attorney General’s office declined to charge Busch March 5 and NASCAR reinstated him the following week.

During a pre-race interview with Fox Sports Sunday, Busch acknowledged he has anger problems but would never harm another individual. Busch, the 2004 Cup Series champion, has twice been suspended previously due to outbursts.

“In somebody who has had moments of anger issues, that is one thing when you’re frustrated about a bad finish,” Busch said. “But going to a step to actually hurt a woman or to hurt somebody, that’s not in my realm.”

Upon returning this weekend, Busch received a warm ovation from fans during driver introductions and was greeted fondly by his team, especially Gibson. SHR paired Busch and Gibson together for the final three races of 2014 and they quickly developed a rapport. The two remained in regular contact throughout Busch’s suspension.

Regan Smith drove the No. 41 car during Busch’s absence posting finishes of 16th (twice) and 17th.

“I wasn’t worried,” said Busch when asked if he was concerned about losing that chemistry with Gibson. “We really hit it off well last year. We have that extra emotion within us right now. Everything’s on a high of getting back to the car, racing hard, going for the win in our first weekend back together.”

SHR co-owner Gene Haas credited Busch’s “razor-focus” to ignore distractions and score a top-five in his first race back. Haas hired Busch last season explicitly because he wanted an aggressive driver who could win in a car Haas self-sponsors.

“I think Kurt has a much more focused attitude,” Haas said. “Now he can get back to business. I think he’s really dedicated himself to winning a championship. So hopefully in the long run, when we look back on this we’ll look at it as a bump in the road on the way to winning another championship.”

Having been granted an exemption by NASCAR, Busch is still eligible to qualify for the Chase for Sprint Cup despite missing three races. To qualify, he must win a race and be no lower than 30th in the championship standings.

By finishing fifth Sunday, Busch moved to just 17 points behind 30th-place Brett Moffitt with 22 regular season races remaining.

“Right now we’re here to win some races,” Busch said. “First step was to get our feet back underneath us and then we’ll go for those wins.

“It’s a long season. The way that you can look at it is we’ve already used our DNF’s.”