NASCAR suspends Kurt Busch for alleged domestic violence

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR has suspended star driver Kurt Busch just two days before the Daytona 500.

The suspension came hours after a Delaware judge said the former champion committed an act of domestic violence against an ex-girlfriend and there was a "substantial likelihood" of him doing it again.

In a 25-page opinion explaining why he issued a no-contact order, the judge said it was more likely than not that Busch "strangled" Patricia Driscoll in his motor home at Dover International Speedway in September and smashed her head into a wall.

Busch has denied the alleged assault. He becomes the first driver suspended by NASCAR for domestic violence.