NASCAR's Kurt Busch meets with investigators

WILMINGTON, DE (AP) - Police in Delaware have interviewed NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and are continuing to investigate allegations by his ex-girlfriend that he assaulted her during the September race at Dover International Speedway.<br /> <br /> Busch, 36, and his attorneys met with investigators Tuesday afternoon, Dover police spokesman Cpl. Mark Hoffman said. Hoffman said Wednesday that investigators were continuing their work and that he did not know when a decision on whether to file charges will be made.<br /> <br /> James Liguori, a Dover attorney who is helping to represent Busch, said the driver continues to deny the allegations made by 36-year-old Patricia Driscoll.<br /> <br /> "He was forthcoming and cooperative and honest," Liguori said, adding that he and fellow attorney Rusty Hardin gave police a "book of information" that they believe will help authorities reach a decision on whether to charge Busch.<br /> <br /> According to the court documents, Driscoll said Busch was despondent the night of Sept. 26 after his poor performance during a qualifying session, was verbally abusive, and said that "he wished he had a gun so that he could kill himself."<br /> <br /> Driscoll said Busch also accused her of "having spies everywhere and having a camera on the bus to watch him" before he grabbed her face and smashed her head three times against a wall.<br /> <br /> A spokesman for attorney Hardin had no immediate comment on the meeting with investigators.<br /> <br /> Hardin issued a statement earlier this month saying the allegations against Busch were "a complete fabrication" by Driscoll, and that she has refused to accept the end of a relationship.<br /> <br /> Mark Dycio, an attorney advising Driscoll, said he looks forward to police concluding their investigation "so that the court can adjudicate the matter."<br /> <br /> In addition to the criminal investigation, Driscoll has filed court documents asking that a judge order Busch to stay away from her and not contact her. She also is asking that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation and be evaluated by a certified domestic violence treatment agency.<br /> <br /> NASCAR chairman Brian France said last week that no disciplinary action will be taken against Busch while police continue to investigate.<br /> <br /> Joe Custer, executive vice president of Stewart-Haas Racing, said the team was also awaiting word from authorities.<br /> <br /> France said Friday that he was sensitive to the focus on domestic violence in a year in which the NFL, in particular, has been under scrutiny for its handling of cases involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and other players. But he said there were no changes planned to NASCAR's domestic dispute policy.<br /> <br /> "If charges are filed, that will change our equation, and we will look at that," France said.<br /> <br /> Known as "The Outlaw" in racing circles, Busch is the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and one of the more accomplished drivers in the series, but he has a history of run-ins on and off the track with drivers, NASCAR officials and reporters. He has seen a sports psychologist to learn to tame his emotions.<br /> <br /> Driscoll is an executive for a small Washington, D.C.-based defense consulting firm and president of the Armed Forces Foundation, a nonprofit for veterans. The couple met at a foundation dinner in 2011, and after hitting it off, Busch became a spokesman and ambassador for the foundation. The group severed its ties with Busch after Driscoll's allegations.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/11/282043