Even though the Delaware Department of Justice decided not to seek charges against Kurt Busch on Thursday, NASCAR announced that the former champion’s indefinite suspension remains.
NASCAR issued the following statement Thursday:
“NASCAR is aware of the Delaware Department of Justice announcement today regarding driver Kurt Busch. As we disclosed Monday, he has accepted the terms and conditions of a reinstatement program and is actively participating in the program. Kurt Busch’s eligibility for reinstatement will continue to be governed by that program and the NASCAR Rule Book, though the elimination of the possibility of criminal charges certainly removes a significant impediment to his reinstatement.”
Chevrolet, which announced last month that it had “suspended its relationship with Kurt Busch indefinitely,” issued a statement Thursday night. Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, stated: “Our relationship with Kurt Busch remains unchanged. He remains suspended, and we will continue to monitor all aspects of this situation.”
Earlier Thursday, the Delaware Department of Justice announced it would not seek any charges against Busch, stating: “After a thorough consideration of all of the available information about the case, it is determined that the admissible evidence and available witnesses would likely be insufficient to meet the burden of establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Busch committed a crime during the September 26th incident. Likelihood of meeting that high burden of proof is the standard for prosecutors in bringing a case. For this reason, the Department of Justice will not pursue criminal charges in this case.”
NASCAR suspended Busch after a Kent County (Del.) Family Court Commissioner concluded that “it is more likely than not” that Busch committed an act of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend in September. The Commissioner’s comments came in explaining his decision to grant a protective order against Busch.
