Kurt Busch testifies ex-girlfriend is trained assassin

Jon Offredo | Wilmington (Del.) News Journal

DOVER, Del. — It could be weeks before the court issues a final decision on a protection order filed against NASCAR's Kurt Busch, after a four-day hearing ended Tuesday afternoon. Testimony has covered everything from the assassinations of drug lords to the inner workings of the motorsport industry.

Commissioner David Jones said he would issue his opinion and rule on the protection order after receiving additional transcripts and the closing summations from both attorneys, which are due in two weeks.

Busch's ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, has accused the driver of slamming her head three times against the bedroom wall of his motorhome on Sept. 26 at Dover International Speedway.

Carolyn McNeice, Driscoll's attorney, said Tuesday that the length of the hearing, two days in December and two this week, was a surprise.

"I think the parties need to get this finished," she said. "Everyone wants to know what is going to happen."

Driscoll declined to comment after the hearing Tuesday.

Busch and his attorney, Rusty Hardin, have staunchly denied the accusations and cast Driscoll, who runs the Armed Forces Foundation and her own defense company, as a jilted lover who wants to destroy Busch's reputation. They have argued that Driscoll, who Busch claimed is a trained assassin deployed on many missions, was never physically abused.

"I'm just glad that the truth got told and that we'll wait on the commissioner's decision," Busch told reporters outside of Kent County Family Court on Tuesday.

Driscoll's alleged background as a trained assassin who had experience killing drug lords via long-range sniper rifles and close combat tactics – including the use of knives and poison – became a major talking point during the latter stages of the hearing.

On both Monday and Tuesday, Busch, the 2004 NASCAR Cup champion known as ''The Outlaw',' said he still believes Driscoll is a trained assassin, despite some of his doubts and questioning by friends.

"Everyone on the outside can tell me I'm crazy, but I lived it on the inside...," Busch testified. "Sorry I'm the last one to the party."

Busch offered up specific examples of her returning from missions, sometimes with bruises.

Once, he said, they were in El Paso, Texas, where Driscoll had left that night in camouflage and boots. She returned later to the hotel at which he was staying wearing a trench coat. Under it she was wearing an evening gown splattered with blood and other matter, Busch testified.

Neither Driscoll nor her attorney refuted the claims during the hearing.

Also on the stand Tuesday was Richard Sniffen, a music minister who did work with NASCAR and knew Busch and Driscoll. He said Driscoll called him the night of the alleged incident and said Busch had pushed her, and she had hit her head.

Sniffen testified that Driscoll called the alleged incident an assault, but never said that she was afraid of Busch.

He also testified that over time, her tone had changed in their discussions about the incident. Sniffen testified that Driscoll had said, "I will destroy him."

However in text messages between the two, read in court, Driscoll denied she said anything like that to Sniffen.

On the night of the alleged assault, Driscoll said she went to Busch's motorhome after she received what she said was an alarming text from the driver. The two had a fight the weekend prior and had not spoken since.

But Busch and his legal team contended that Driscoll and her 9-year-old son showed up uninvited and unannounced.

After an exchange between the two in the motor home, Driscoll alleged Busch slammed her head against the wall three times, injuring the back of her head and her neck. Busch contended that he never slammed her head, never grabbed her by the throat or pushed her head against the wall. Instead, he says he cupped her face and told her to leave.

Busch testified Monday that he decided to end his relationship last fall because Driscoll was monopolizing his schedule and he needed to focus on racing.

In November, Driscoll reported the incident to police. She filed the protective order around the same time, saying that she fears for her safety. She requested that Busch stay away from her and not contact her. She is also asking for Busch to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and order him to be evaluated by a certified domestic violence treatment agency, according to the court filings.

But Hardin contended that Driscoll was upset that Busch did not reach out to her following the alleged incident in Dover. He questioned how she could be fearful for her safety, while simultaneously reaching out to Busch to talk things over.

Dover Police Detective James Wood, who investigated the complaint, said Tuesday that during the police interview Busch had said that he cupped his hands around her face, as if they were going to kiss, and told her to leave. As he did that, her head tapped the wall, Wood said on the stand.

The police investigation concluded before Christmas and the Delaware Attorney General's office is currently reviewing the findings.

Contributing: Associated Press