NASCAR 2015 Latest News: Kurt Busch May Face Multiple Hurdles to Be Reinstated
The saga of Kurt Bush continued this weekend when team car owner started raising questions about his return to the no. 41 car. Busch faces a long road to return, while he has signed a terms and conditions for consideration of reinstatement with NASCAR, it is not known what those terms and conditions are.
NASCAR has said the facing of criminal charges was one of these factors but since Busch will not be charged so he has cleared that hurdle. The next hurdle he may have to clear is whether or not his race team will remain eligible for the chase once he is reinstated by NASCAR.
It sounds like that will be a huge factor for Stewart-Haas Racing once Busch is reinstated. Under NASCAR rules, a driver must attempt all the races, Busch has missed three races now and would need an exception from NASCAR to remain eligible for the racing series playoff system. Currently the no. 41 is not chase eligible because of missed races by Busch and the fact that replacement driver Regan Smith declared he was running 2015 for Xfinity Series points. Under NASCAR rules, a driver may only run for points in one national touring series.
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"Some of our concerns are, obviously, if he does come back, could we get in the Chase. So, those issues now kind of really reside with NASCAR," Stewart-Haas Racing co owner Gene Haas told Jayski.com.
NASCAR has given Chase eligibility exemptions to drivers in the past for time missed for medical reasons. They also gave Tony Stewart an exemption last fall when he missed three races over the death of Kevin Ward Jr. This is a huge concern for Haas as he is not only the co-owner but his company, Haas-CNC, serves as the primary sponsor for the no. 41 team.
