After Kurt Busch's latest profanity-laced tirade landed him in hot water, it appears that his owner, racing legend Roger Penske, has run out of patience.
News broke late Sunday night that Penske has informed Busch he will be out as driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger next season.
This latest incident occurred after transmission issues forced Busch to exit the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway early in the event. When he was approached by ESPN pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch for an interview, Busch proceeded to lose his temper and curse out Punch and his film crew. After about ten minutes of waiting, Punch had had enough of Busch's vulgarity and walked away. Video of this incident was later posted by a fan to YouTube, where it later went viral. Click here if you haven't seen the incident yet. Viewer discretion is advised!
Prior to this incident, Busch also gave the finger to a car or a person (it was never confirmed who it was) as he drove to his garage stall. The gesture was captured on his on-board camera and broadcast live by ESPN.
Not only has his owner had enough, but apparently crew chief Steve Addington has reached the end of his rope as well. It was announced earlier in the week that Addington was leaving Penske Racing to become head wrench on 2011 champion Tony Stewart's No. 14 car.
All season long, Busch has cussed out his team on the radio, taken shots at how his cars are built and even questioned team leadership, including Penske.
During championship week, Busch announced he was seeing a sports psychologist for his anger issues. He also said that his sponsor was "agitated" over the incident, but he sounded confident that he would return to the No. 22 team next year. He never imagined his job was in jeopardy.
Apparenty ignorance is bliss because Shell/Pennzoil representatives were spotted sitting at Busch's teammate Brad Keselowski's table during the Nascar Awards Banquet on Friday night.
His firing from Penske comes approximately six years after Busch was handed a pink slip by Roush-Fenway Racing with two races left in the 2005 season. The night before the race at Phoenix International Raceway, he got into a verbal dispute with Avondale, Ariz. police after being cited for reckless driving.
But Busch's misfortune is going to be an early Christmas present for another driver. David Ragan, David Reutimann and Brian Vickers are all looking for rides for next year. Penske could also promote Sam Hornish, Jr or Parker Kligerman up from his Nationwide Series teams, but that situation seems highly unlikely. Look for Ragan or Reutimann to move to the No. 22 next year. Both are fast, take care of their equipment and would represent Shell-Pennzoil with the utmost respect and class.
Reutimann also has ties to Pennzoil, as they sponsored his car when he drove in the Nascar AutoZone Elite Division in the late '90's and early 2000's.
Busch has always had a reputation as one of Nascar's most volatile personalities. His blatant disrespect for authority, let alone other human beings, is despicable. He once addressed Penske as "dude" over the radio during a race at Martinsville. There is no room for that kind of disrespect in the sport today. With almost everything dictated by what the sponsors want, every driver needs to watch what they say and do.
Kurt Busch is the 2004 Cup Series champion and winner of twenty-four races and fifteen pole awards. There is little the Las Vegas native has not done in the Sprint Cup Series. He is a tremendous talent.
But he is also now damaged goods. The constant venom that he spews over the radio and in the garage could prove lethal for any team he joins. There are also very few sponsors that would be willing to back a driver as short-tempered as Busch. He has also burned all his bridges with Roush Fenway Racing, and thus Ford, and now with Dodge as well. With these facts in mind, and with the lack of competitive rides available to him, there are few options for running competitively in 2012 for Busch to choose from.
Few fans will offer any sympathy for the Sin City driver. They have already taken to Facebook and Twitter in droves to speculate about his possible replacement and praise Penske for teaching Busch a lesson.
Busch has apologized, or at least his PR rep has, for his actions at Homestead. He also acknowledged his anger problems and said that he is addressing them.
But apparently this proved too little too late and now his unpredictable, hot-headed personality has cost him his job. Maybe even his career.
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