Kurt Busch is one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR. He’s a former Series champion and winner of over 20 Sprint Cup races. However, he is also one of the biggest jerks in sports. His list of feuds with other drivers is a mile long, as are his incidents of vulgar, abrasive abuse of reporters, crew members, and people in general. After his most high-profile instance of being a jerk towards ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch (with over a million views on YouTube) at the end of last season, he parted ways with the famed Penske Racing.
Now, Busch races for essentially a non-competitive, sponsorless team, one of the biggest falls down the ladder in recent memory, most of it attributed to being a terrible person. However, despite vows to change, Busch’s behavior has been just as bad this year. First there was an expletive-laced rant and meltdown at Darlington that led to a hefty fine and probation. Now, here’s video of Busch verbally abusing Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass after a Nationwide Series event at Dover. Observe.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6H1vLdIZWmM
Pockrass was clearly only doing his job by asking Busch about some close racing on the track and how his probation affects his performance, a reasonable inquiry based on Busch’s laundry-list of past transgressions. Pockrass definitely wasn’t trying to “start stuff” and wasn’t asking “stupid questions.” Of course, there are those in the media that look for a “gotcha moment” by baiting an athlete into saying something they’ll regret. But, in this case, Kurt Busch simply took what little rope was given him and once again hanged himself.