Las Vegas Dice

Yes, NASCAR also has its version of a Hot Stove League, and the big offseason news thus far came Monday when hot-headed Kurt Busch was fired by Penske Racing, although the sides are calling it mutual split.

The 2004 Sprint Cup champion lost favor with Penske Racing and primary sponsor Shell Pennzoil during a season in which he had multiple behavioral run-ins on and off the track. Busch’s future came to a head in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch first made an obscene gesture that happened to be in the direction of First Lady Michelle Obama’s motorcade as he came to the garage after his transmission failed early. He then had a profanity-laced tirade directed at ESPN reporter Dr. Jerry Punch and his camera crew that went viral on YouTube. NASCAR penalized Busch $50,000. Penske officials and Shell Pennzoil publicly reprimanded him.

Those transgressions continued a pattern for Busch, who frequently feuded with his crew chief, Steve Addington, as well as his pit crew and even team owner Roger Penske off and on over the past two seasons. Busch also directed insults toward the Penske and Dodge engineering staffs in the garage area following the transmission problem that took him out of the race at Homestead. Addington quit as Busch’s crew chief shortly after the season ended, and was quickly hired by Stewart-Haas Racing to serve as defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart’s crew chief beginning next season.

“While I am disappointed that Kurt will not be racing for our team in the future, both Kurt and I felt that separating at this time was best for all parties, including our team and sponsors,” Roger Penske said in the news release. “I wish Kurt the best in his future racing endeavors.”

Busch began driving for Penske in 2006 and has won at least one race in each of his six seasons with the organization — and in each of the past 10 Cup seasons overall. He has 24 career victories, including two last season — one of which came early in the just-concluded 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

But Busch faded down the stretch in the Chase and finished 11th in points after he and team officials had hoped he would contend for the championship.

Busch was fired by Roush Fenway Racing in November 2005 after being cited in an alcohol-related incident in Avondale, Ariz., for criminal recklessness. After sitting out the rest of the 2005 season, he began driving for Penske in 2006. Busch indicated last week that he has been seeing a sports psychologist for two months.

There are no quality rides currently available for next season for Busch to pursue, and no drivers with a resume on the track similar to Busch’s available for Penske to hire. Several drivers who competed in the Cup series this season remain without rides, including David Ragan, Brian Vickers and David Reutimann.

Place your NASCAR bets at our online sportsbook!

Online Betting