Early and Personal Life
At the age of six, Busch was accompanying his father to the track and driving go-carts himself. As an underage teenager, he competed in Dwarf competition winning in just his second race, at the Las Vegas Speedway Park. This father and son team competed western tracks from Southern California to Utah. In 1994, his first full year as a driver, Busch won 10 consecutive races at 10 different tracks. His father eventually sold their dwarf equipment and purchased a powerful car for the Legends Series, which Busch began driving in 1996 at age 18. After graduating at Durango High School, Busch enrolled at the University of Arizona, hoping to earn a degree in Pharmacy.
Busch became engaged to girlfriend, Eva Bryan, while attending the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix. On July 27, 2006, three years to the day of them meeting on a blind date, they were married in Virginia. The footage was taped and later aired on national television. Busch announced on June 30, 2011, "Those in the NASCAR community have been aware for some time now that we are no longer together and we are legally separated". The announcement came days after Busch kissed another woman in Victory Lane celebration following a win at Sonoma Raceway. Busch had showed off his new girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, during the June 26, 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend at Sonoma, California. NASCAR garage were aware of the separation but choose to not report on the relationship as has become standard practice to not report on such personal issues. This public display and follow-up announcement shocked the NASCAR community. Busch and Eva Bryan filed for divorce in early June and were legally separated later that month.
Busch has a documented history of verbally abusing other drivers, his team and the media. Busch revealed that he has been working with a sports psychologist for two months, to work on "personal issues" according to interviews during the 2011 NASCAR Championship week.
Busch is also an avid baseball fan and stated the goal of visiting every ballpark nationwide. His favorite baseball team is the Chicago Cubs.
His younger brother Kyle Busch also competes full-time in both the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and runs part-time in the Camping World Truck Series.
Read more about this topic: Kurt Busch
Famous quotes containing the words personal life, early, personal and/or life:
“A man lives not only his personal life, as an individual, but also, consciously or unconsciously, the life of his epoch and his contemporaries.”
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955)
“Some would find fault with the morning red, if they ever got up early enough.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I am thankful to God for this approval of the people. But while deeply grateful for this mark of their confidence in me, if I know my heart, my gratitude is free from any taint of personal triumph. I do not impugn the motives of any one opposed to me. It is no pleasure to me to triumph over any one.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)