NASCAR fines Kyle Busch $50,000, warns of indefinite suspension

Kyle Busch, already forced to miss two NASCAR races this weekend in Texas, also was fined $50,000 and given a stern warning by NASCAR on Monday.

In announcing the fine, NASCAR also placed Busch on probation until Dec. 31 and took the unusual step of saying that if Busch made another overly aggressive move this year that the sanctioning body deemed "detrimental to stock car racing or to NASCAR" or "disruptive to the orderly conduct of an event," then Busch "will be suspended indefinitely from NASCAR."

NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup Series has two more races this season: At Phoenix this Sunday and at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Nov. 20.

Busch, 26, got into hot water Friday night when he shoved championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. into the wall during a caution period at a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Busch acknowledged that it was retaliation after the two had banged into each other earlier in the race. NASCAR then took the rare step of parking Busch, prohibiting him from driving in the second-level Nationwide Series race Saturday and the Cup race Sunday.

Busch, who drives the No. 18 Toyota in the Cup series for the team led by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs, then made a public apology in which he said "I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions."

Michael McDowell drove for Busch in the Cup race and finished 33rd in the 43-car field. Busch watched the race while sitting atop McDowell's pit box.

-- Jim Peltz

Photo: Kyle Busch watches the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Credit: Randy Holt / Associated Press

Kyle Busch, forced to miss NASCAR races, apologizes for retaliation

After being forced to sit out two NASCAR races this weekend, including Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race in Texas, Kyle Busch issued an open letter of apology that said "I have no one to blame but myself."

Busch initially defended his actions after he intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday Jr. after the two earlier banged fenders in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night.

But after NASCAR penalized him by taking the rare step of prohibiting Busch from driving in Sunday's Cup race and in the second-level Nationwide Series race on Saturday, Busch apologized to his Joe Gibbs Racing team, his fans, his sponsors and to Hornaday.

"I understand why I was taken out of the car for the rest of the weekend," Busch stated in his letter. "NASCAR officials had to act, and I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions."

Denny Hamlin, Busch's Gibbs teammate, drove for Busch in the Nationwide race and finished second to winner Trevor Bayne. Michael McDowell is driving for Busch on Sunday.

Busch, 26, is a lightning rod among NASCAR fans, an aggressive, excellent and daring driver who also can be volatile and temperamental. He routinely draws a loud mix of boos and cheers in pre-race introductions, and his nicknames include "Rowdy" and "Wild Thing."

Busch, who was seventh in the Cup standings entering Sunday's race, seemed to mature somewhat this season and be less prone to risky, unwarranted maneuvers on the track. But "this was certainly a step backward," Busch acknowledged.

He added: "I know my long-term actions will have more of a bearing than anything I say right now."

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--Jim Peltz

Photo: NASCAR driver Kyle Busch on Oct. 21 at Talladega Superspeedway. Credit: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

NASCAR pulls Kyle Busch from Sprint Cup, Nationwide races in Texas

In an extremely rare move, NASCAR suspended driver Kyle Busch from competing in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide races in Texas this weekend as a penalty for Busch intentionally wrecking another driver in a truck race Friday night.

Busch, long known for his aggressive driving, shoved the truck driven by championship contender Ron Hornaday Jr. into the wall during a caution period after the two had tangled in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

After meeting Saturday morning with Busch and his team owner, NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced Busch's suspension from the Nationwide race later Saturday and the Sprint Cup race on Sunday.

Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota in the Cup series, is one of the 12 drivers competing for the series title in the "Chase for the Cup" playoff. He's currently seventh in the standings, 57 points behind leader Carl Edwards.

Although NASCAR has let drivers settle more of their on-track differences on their own -- the so-called "Boys, have at it" policy -- Helton told reporters in Texas that Busch went too far, prompting NASCAR to take the rare step of benching a driver for an upcoming race.

"The responsibility over the past two or three seasons we've given back to the drivers came, I think, with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed," Helton said, adding that "we saw it last night."

Gibbs said Denny Hamlin would drive Busch's car in the Nationwide race, and Michael McDowell would replace Busch in the Cup race.

Gibbs told reporters in Texas that he supported NASCAR and had "great faith in the decisions they make."

"This was a tough one for us," Gibbs said. "You don't like it but we're certainly going to try and work our way through this one and do the right thing and try and handle it the right way."

--Jim Peltz

Photo: The No. 33 truck driven by Ron Hornaday Jr. is pushed into the wall by the truck of driver Kyle Busch during the NASCAR Truck Series race on Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway. Credit: David Kent / McClatchy-Tribune