Retired NASCAR Cup champion Kurt Busch arrested on DWI charges

The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion was initially pulled over for speeding. Per a report from Iredell Free News, he was traveling 63mph in a 45mph zone. The incident took place at 11:32 p.m. ET. on Monday. 

However, Busch was later arrested and charged with DWI, careless driving, and reckless driving by the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office. He was released after three hours and his driver’s license has been revoked for 30 days. He will have to appear in court on September 19.

Busch’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the arrest was 0.17%, while the legal limit in North Carolina is 0.08%.

Busch hasn’t raced in the NASCAR Cup Series since the summer of 2022. A crash during qualifying at Pocono Raceway sidelined him with a concussion. Busch, now 46, was never able to go back racing at the top level of the sport again.

Busch has served as a team ambassador for the 23XI Racing team in the years following the Pocono crash.

His Cup career spanned 23 years, winning 34 races in 776 starts. He won races with various teams throughout his time in the sport, including Team Penske, but his lone championship came with Roush (now RFK Racing). His final race win came with 23IXRacing at Kansas Speedway in 2022, three months before the career-ending crash.

An emotional Busch officially announced his retirement in August, 2023.