Kurt Busch returns to Daytona chasing history and more
DAYTONA BEACH — Please pardon Kurt Busch’s hangover.
Strictly from a competitive standpoint, of course. He came here a few months ago in February, and boom, straight out of the chute, he became your 2017 Daytona 500 champion.
Perks were involved. He essentially qualified for the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs that afternoon. All this other stuff came with the confetti shower, too: The Harley J. Earl trophy, a Cosmograph Daytona Rolex watch, a quick victory tour in New York City with several media stops.
Instant nirvana. You can understand the haze.
“I would say a few weeks after that, we were slightly hungover, not necessarily literally,” Busch said during a media availability at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday afternoon. “It just seemed like a fog. The energy.”
“…We’re ordering rings, flags. We’re taking the Harley J. Earl trophy to Ford’s headquarters, Monster’s headquarters, Haas’ headquarters …”
Busch brings that competitive pile of house money with him this weekend, as he tries to become only the sixth driver in NASCAR history to win the Daytona 500 and the July race at this track.
Busch isn’t exactly sizzling as
he rolls into Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400, but he definitely has kept a steady pace. He is 14th in the Cup standings, with two Top 5s and eight Top 10 finishes.
“Once we settled in and learned the balance of our Ford and how things were changing here and there, quite honestly, I think we’ve done great,” Busch said.
It’s been a nice run for the organization after Stewart-Haas switched manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford this season. They remain a formidable group with the exception of Danica Patrick. Kevin Harvick is fourth in points, having won recently at Fontana. Clint Bowyer is 11th.
Busch has been with Stewart-Haas since Busch announced in August of 2013 that he was leaving Furniture Row Racing to join one of the super teams in NASCAR.
It was the culmination of an inspiring comeback for Busch, 38, finally shedding much of the temperamental baggage that he had carried with him throughout his career. He was bounced at Penske Racing after the 2011 season for various emotional hissy fits, which included a profanity-laced tirade against an ESPN broadcaster in Homestead.
By February of 2013, Busch had found ultimate infamy — ranking No. 8 among “America’s Most Disliked Athletes” in a list published by Forbes.com.
His personal life dovetailed into chaos as well, with a highly-publicized breakup with girlfriend Patricia Driscoll, who accused Busch of choking and beating her inside his motor home at Dover International Speedway in 2014. Charges were never filed, but Busch was suspended by NASCAR on the eve of the Daytona 500 in February of 2015. He was reinstated the following month.
Busch has since married Ashley Van Metre in January of 2017, with a swanky reception featuring Steven Tyler and Aerosmith. Weeks after kissing his bride, he kissed the Harley J. Earl trophy. Sweet emotion, indeed.
There will always be introspective rides in life, even if you don’t drive at crazy speeds for a living. Busch has settled down, in a good way, and found his groove professionally and personally.
The spoils have been bountiful.
“Yeah, it feels great,” he said. “To have a Daytona 500 win and the ring, trophy and the prestige and the value of that win.”
Busch did lose one thing in the victory celebration: His car, which is now featured in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America adjacent to the track.
“That experience of losing a race-winning car is tough to accept,” Busch said. “But at the end of the day one of the coolest feelings in the world. You know what? We’ll go build another one and the car we’re running this weekend finished sixth earlier this year at Talladega. We’ll be alright.” gdiaz@ orlandosentinel.com; @georgediaz on Twitter