Kurt Busch was reinstated by NASCAR on Wednesday and is eligible for the Chase.
“As we stated last week, the elimination of the possibility of criminal charges removed a significant impediment to Kurt Busch’s return to full status as a NASCAR member,” Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer said in a statement. “We therefore have decided to move him to indefinite probation and waive the Chase requirement. He has fully complied with our reinstatement program during his suspension and the health care expert who conducted his evaluation recommended his immediate return.
“We have made it very clear to Kurt Busch our expectations for him moving forward, which includes participation in a treatment program and full compliance with all judicial requirements as a result of his off-track behavior.”
Busch was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR on Friday, Feb. 20 after the release of a decision following the grant of a protection order against his ex-girlfriend. In the decision, a Delaware county commissioner wrote it was more likely than not that Busch committed an act of abuse against Patricia Driscoll on Friday, Sept. 26.
However, the Delaware attorney general announced last week that Busch wouldn't face criminal charges saying there was insufficient evidence.
While Stewart-Haas Racing hasn't announced that Busch will officially be in the car on Sunday at Phoenix, it hasn't announced a replacement driver either. Given co-owner Gene Haas' support of Busch, it's likely his absence will have been limited to Daytona, Atlanta and Las Vegas.
Drivers are required to attempt to qualify for each NASCAR race to be eligible for the Chase. However, NASCAR holds the right to grant a waiver for drivers to be eligible for the Chase and has previously done so with Brian Vickers and Tony Stewart.
Chase eligibility for Busch doesn't seem like that much of a stretch either, provided he wins a race. To make the Chase, a driver must win a race and be in the top 30 in points or have enough points to fill the remaining Chase positions assuming there aren't 16 drivers with wins.
While Busch won't likely be able to accomplish the latter requirement, a win would do a lot to get him in the Chase. Last year's 30th place driver, David Gilliland averaged less than 16 points per race. On that standard, Busch would need to average a 25th place finish to get in to the top 30 of the points standings by Richmond in September.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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