Patricia Driscoll granted protective order against NASCAR driver Kurt Busch

   Patricia Driscoll has been granted a protective order by a Kent County (Del.) Family Court judge, ordering NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch to stay away and not communicate with his ex-girlfriend.

   In the order, a copy of which has been obtained by The Observer, the court makes the following declaration:

   "The Court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the Respondent has committed an act or repeated acts of domestic violence against the Petitioner."

   Among the restrictions placed on Busch by the order:

   - Busch cannot threaten, molest, attack, harass or commit any other act of abuse against Driscoll and any minor children in her household.

   - Busch cannot come with 100 yards of Driscoll's person, residence or workplace. At NASCAR races, Busch must maintain a "practicable distance" from Driscoll if both are in attendance.

   - Busch cannot attempt to contact Driscoll in any way.

   - Busch must be evaluated for "mental health problems" and follow any recommendations by the evaluator.

   Busch's attorney, Rusty Hardin, provided the following statement to The Observer: 

   “Though we are not surprised by the Commissioner’s ruling, in light of the restrictions on the evidence he considered, we are deeply disappointed because we believe the evidence of Ms. Driscoll’s total lack of believability was overwhelming. It is important to note that the Commissioner’s ruling is a civil family court matter and totally unconnected to any criminal investigation or finding.

   “Regardless of the Commissioner’s finding, we know that Kurt never committed an act of family violence. The evidence was un-contradicted that Ms. Driscoll committed the criminal offense of trespass when she entered his motor home at night, while he was sleeping, uninvited, without permission,  and refused to leave when he repeatedly asked her to get out. Mr. Busch’s conduct was totally reasonable and legal under the circumstances. He never intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly caused her any injury. 

   “We intend to appeal the Commissioner’s ruling and will seek to persuade the family court judge hearing the appeal to consider new and previously unknown evidence from various people that have come forward since the conclusion of the hearing before the Commissioner.  We have provided this additional evidence challenging Ms. Driscoll’s testimony and credibility to the Attorney General’s office for their criminal investigation, and we hope to persuade the family court judge to consider the same evidence.”

   NASCAR officials did not have an immediate response by expected to release a statement sometime on Monday. 

   The order from the family court was issued Monday and a notice that supplemental details and the opinion supporting Commissioner David Jones's order would be released Friday, two days before Busch is scheduled to compete in the 2015 season-opening Daytona 500.

   Driscoll filed a domestic assault claim Nov. 5 against Busch at the Dover (Del.) Police Department, nearly six weeks after the time of the incident, which allegedly took place during the September NASCAR race weekend in Dover.

   Dover police concluded that investigation just before Christmas and forwarded the case file to the Delaware attorney general's office, which has yet to decide whether to file charges. Driscoll also filed for the protective order in November.

   The hearing, however, lasted four days over two months before the decision was finally issued on Monday. Driscoll testified in the protective order hearing that Busch had slammed her head three times against the wall of his motor home on Sept. 26 after she visited him at his motorhome in Dover. Busch denied the allegations.

Candlelight tribute for the late Dale Earnhardt set for Wednesday at DEI

   On Wednesday, race fans can honor the life of the late Dale Earnhardt during the annual candlelight tribute, which has been held on the grounds of Dale Earnhardt Inc. every year since 2001 in coordination with the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.

   The seven-time champion of NASCAR's biggest series died in a last-lap wreck in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001.

   From 6 to 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, DEI will be closed and illuminated with candles, and a Guest Book will be available for signing and sharing special memories of Earnhardt. The showroom and store will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

   For more information on the work of The Dale Earnhardt Foundation, go here. 

Clint Bowyer goes off on NASCAR about Daytona group qualifying

   Q.  What do you see and what were you thinking when you were behind the 44?

   CLINT BOWYER:  I wasn't behind the 44.  He came flying around, come up on the apron, jumps in front of me, then runs over the 51, stacks us all up and then I run into him.  It's idiotic to be out here doing this anyway.  There's no sense in being able to try to put on some cute show for whatever the hell this is.  Then you have a guy out there doing this in desperation. 

   There's no reason to be out here.  These guys have spent six months working on these cars, busting their butts on these cars. But it ain't his fault.  It's NASCAR's fault for putting us out in the middle of this crap for nothing. 

   We used to come down here and worry about who would set on the front pole in the biggest race of the year.  Now all we do is come down here and worry about how a start‑and‑park like this out of desperation is going to knock us out of the Daytona 500. 

   We've been in meetings for 45 minutes just trying to figure out what in the hell everybody is going to do just so we can make the race.  It's stupid.  There's no sense in doing this.

What Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano each said about their post-race face-off

   After the checkered flag waved in Saturday night's Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano began slamming into each other as they headed down pit road. Once there, they engaged in a sometimes-heated conversation which otherwise ended without incident. 

   Here is what each driver said about what prompted the run-in:

   Harvick: “He just drove us straight in the fence. Everybody is trying to be aggressive, but you still have to know when and where you can do things. You can’t just drive somebody in the fence. I’m just disappointed for my guys on my Jimmy John’s team just for the fact that they worked hard to get their car back where it needed to be. And then just one of those deals where you just know that is going to work. Whether it is an all-star race or not, it doesn’t really matter, you can’t just take your head off and throw it on the floor board and not use your brain.” 

   (What was particularly frustrating?)  “There was no frustration it was good hard speedway racing, but he (Joey Logano) hooked me halfway down the backstretch and then just literally drove me in the corner until I hit the fence. I have had a few issues with him on the speedways. You can’t just take your head off and detach it and throw it on the floor board and not use your brain. It’s an all-star race, but you still have to have some common sense.” 

   (Will this carry over at all?) “No, like I told him (Joey Logano) last year that kind of stuff catches up with you. It caught up with him last year and you can only do things like that so long before it catches up with you.”

   Logano:  “That is Kevin (Harvick) just being an instigator just like everywhere else. It is a new year and the same stuff. I was trying to help really, to be honest with you, we had a run and I was pushing. I was doing the same thing with the No. 78 all night and it was working. We got in the corner and he got tight and he got into the fence. I was trying to help. He just doesn’t understand I was trying to help. I understand his frustration but I was trying to help out and get to the front and try to win this thing. There are no points or anything like that so you go for the win.” 

   (What was your side of things on pit road?) “I was truly trying to help. It is just the same old stuff with him. I was trying to work my way back up there and had a good run on the backstretch pushing him and when he got in the corner his car got tight. I know he has a lot of damage on his car too and that could have been why too. I was doing it with the 78 all day and keeping ourselves up there. Unfortunately he hit the fence. It wasn’t on purpose, I was trying to get to the front. All-Star races like this mean nothing unless you win so you go for it.” 

What NASCAR driver was seen on TV last year more than any other?

   What NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver was seen on TV more than any other last year?

   The answer will probably not surprise you, when you consider the mainstream marketability of four-time series champion Jeff Gordon.

   According to Repucom, which specializes in sports and entertainment intelligence solutions, Gordon was seen on TV for a total of just over 24 hours of broadcast time in 2014. He and his sponsors also generated more than one billion online impressions.

   Gordon's fan base is approximately 14 million strong and one in five NASCAR fans identified Gordon as the favorite driver, according to data from Repucom.

   "From Saturday night racing under the lights to 'Saturday Night Live,' the four-time Sprint Cup champion has provided a tremendous amount of exposure for NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, sponsors and charitable causes," said Peter Laatz, executive vice president of Repucom.

  "Jeff Gordon's skills as an ambassador are surpassed only by his racing accomplishments."

   Gordon is ranked third among current NASCAR drivers, behind Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in overall marketability upon Reucom's Celebrity DBI, an independent index that quantifies consumer perceptions of more than 5,000 celebrities worldwide.

Danica Patrick disappointed original GoDaddy Super Bowl ad didn't run

   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drive Danica Patrick said Thursday she was "definitely disappointed" GoDaddy, which sponsors her No. 10 Chevrolet at Stewart-Haas Racing, pulled its original Super Bowl after an uproar from animal rescue activists.

   Patrick also scoffed at the notion GoDaddy put together the first ad with intentions of pulling it all along as some sort of publicity ploy. 

   "GoDaddy had every intention to run that commercial, and I feel like I heard from a lot of people that it was like choreographed and it was planned and stuff. I think that's so funny. We thought it was a really funny, absolutely left‑sided joke, but it really was not intentional," Patrick said Monday at Daytona International Speedway.

   "So was I surprised? I don't think anything in this culture surprises me anymore. I mean, people have opinions about everything, especially when you get into that world of animal rights or tree rights or whatever rights. They all have an opinion ... We were here to be funny, and enough people didn't think it was funny."

   The original ad, entitled "Lost Dog," showed a puppy that falls out of a truck and then eventually finds its way back home. Upon arrival, the puppy discovers its owner used GoDaddy to set up a Web site to sell the dog to a new owner. Patrick drove the van which carries the puppy to its new owner. 

   You can read more about the controversy and see the original ad here.

Kevin Harvick on relationship with his dad: 'I don't know that you could fix all of that'

   Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick was interviewed recently at the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the nationally-syndicated sports interview show, "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," which will air nationwide this weekend, including 12:05 a.m. ET Sunday on WBTV in Charlotte.

   In the interview, Harvick talks about coming from a broken home and the lessons he learned from his relationship with his father, Mike, when he was growing up. Harvick told Bensinger the fallout between the two may not be fixable.

   Here's a short takeout from the interview: 

   Harvick: “I grew up in a little bit of a broken house. You know, the night I won my first late model race was the night my mom moved everything out of the house. So you go from, you know, having this moment where you think you’ve taken another step in your career to, you know that dad’s coming home to, he’s coming home to nothing … There was a lot of situations like that … He had a drinking problem as I grew up and you see and are exposed to a lot of things that you probably don’t want to do as a parent.”

   Later Bensinger asks Harvick if his dad has come around:

   Harvick: “I don’t know that that’ll actually ever all come back around … There’s just so many things that happened along the way that, you know, I don’t know that you could fix all of that stuff.”

   You can watch a short video take from the interview, which will air in its entirety this weekend, here.