Former NASCAR driver Kurt Busch arrested for drunken driving

Former NASCAR driver Kurt Busch was arrested Wednesday in North Carolina after allegedly driving drunk.

According to court records, Busch was pulled over after driving 63 mph in a 45 mph zone in Iredell County, North Carolina. An officer reported that Busch had "red glassy eyes" and that alcohol could be smelled on his breath.

Busch, 46, ultimately tested with a blood alcohol content of .17, double North Carolina's legal limit of .08. He has been charged with driving while intoxicated, speeding, and careless and reckless driving.

"I'm very disappointed in myself and I apologize to my family, my racing family, and to my fans," Busch said in a statement. "I will work with the authorities to rectify the situation and work with the county to make it a safer place in the future."

Busch, who won the Cup Series title in 2004 and the Daytona 500 in 2017, officially retired as a race car driver in August 2023. He had stepped away from racing after suffering a significant concussion in a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway in 2022.