Kyle Busch's License Revoked

Kyle Busch pleaded guilty to speeding 128 mph

By Joe Marusak and Gary L. Wright - jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com, gwright@charlotteobserver.com
Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011


STATESVILLE - NASCAR driver Kyle Busch pleaded guilty Tuesday to speeding 128 mph in a 45 mph zone in May.

Iredell District Judge Thomas Church revoked Busch's driver's license for 45 days and told him not to drive any car during that time. The judge also fined Busch $1,000.

Busch, who also pleaded no contest to reckless driving, apologized for his actions. His lawyer said Busch has agreed to sponsor 10 driving schools that will benefit 300 teenage drivers.

Losing his license won't keep Bush off the race tracks. A valid driver's license isn't required to drive in NASCAR.

In a statement released the day he was ticketed, Busch said he was test driving a new sports car and “got carried away.”

“I went beyond the speed I should have been going on a public road,” he said. “I apologize to the public, my fans, sponsors and race teams for my lack of judgment.

“I take responsibility for my actions, and I can assure you that something like this will never happen again.”

Two days later, at Charlotte Motor Speedway before qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600, Busch apologized again.

“I'm certainly sorry for my actions and for my lack of judgment,” he said. “This is something that I can take and learn from and hopefully move forward and not let happen again.”

Busch, who lives in Iredell County, drives the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. On Sunday, after winning the race at Michigan International Speedway, Busch moved into sole possession of first place in the Sprint Cup standings.

Nobody was injured on May 24 as Busch sped down Perth Road with his wife, Samantha, in the passenger seat of a borrowed yellow Lexus LFA sports car. An Iredell County deputy stopped him near a Lake Norman subdivision, not far from a day care, a church and several neighborhoods.

Nearby residents were incensed that the millionaire race car driver may have put them at risk and somehow avoided going to jail.

Busch was ticketed for speeding and reckless driving. He wasn't jailed, a matter of the arresting officer's discretion.

Busch reportedly told the officer who stopped him the $350,000 high-performance car was “just a toy.”

“It wasn't that it was a toy, it's a high-performance vehicle and that shouldn't be taken lightly,” Busch said in May. “It should be driven with caution. Obviously I didn't have caution. There's probably a reason why on TV commercials they show at the bottom, 'Professional driver, closed course.' Mine was not that.”

Iredell Sheriff's officials said the camera in Deputy Christopher Stone's patrol car was running as he pulled Busch. But they wouldn't describe what the video shows and declined to release it, saying it's evidence in a pending case.

Officials say they did not give Busch preferential treatment when they let him go with a citation instead of jailing him.

Capt Darren Campbell, with the Iredell Sheriff's Office, said Busch “had the proper ID. He was from the area. He was a low risk to flee.”

“The officer didn't cut any breaks,” Campbell said. “(Busch) was charged with going 128. The officer did that, and he will be prepared to testify in court, if it comes to that.”


Read more: http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/08/23/72353/kyle-busch-pleaded-guilty-to-speeding.html#ixzz1VtT59yI5