What Is Kurt Busch's Net Worth?
Kurt Busch is an American professional race car driver with a net worth of $70 million. He accumulated his wealth through his racing career and endorsement deals. Throughout his career, Kurt earned over $90 million from racing prizes alone, with an equally large amount coming from endorsements. He announced his retirement from racing in August 2023.
Early Life
Kurt Thomas Busch was born on August 4, 1978, in Las Vegas, Nevada. His father was a salesman, and his mother worked at a public school. At six, he started going to the racetrack with his father and competing in go-kart racing. By age 14, he competed in his first race, driving a dwarf car at the Pahrump Valley Speedway. His father supported his racing aspirations, as long as he maintained good grades.
During his teens, Kurt participated in stock car racing, winning his second competition at the Las Vegas Speedway Park. He and his father traveled around the southwest competing in races. Kurt's younger brother is two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch. Kurt attended Durango High School and briefly studied at the University of Arizona before focusing on his racing career.
Early Career
After racecar driver Chris Trickle was injured in an unsolved drive-by shooting, Kurt joined the Star Nursery team. By the nineties, he had gained attention with wins at the Nevada Dwarf Car championship in 1995 and the Legend Cars Western States championship in 1996. He competed in and won the semi-professional NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series and was named the AutoZone Elite Division Southwest Series Rookie of the Year in 1998. In 1999, Kurt and the Star Nursery team won the Southwest Tour Championship, and he signed with Roush Racing, moving up to higher-level competitions.
In 2000, Kurt competed in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning four races and finishing second in the series' points standings. He was the youngest driver to win both a pole and a race in the series. With these successes, Roush Racing promoted Kurt to the Winston Cup Series full-time for the 2001 season. He placed in the top five in three races and earned over $2 million that year. During the 2001 Daytona 500, he raced against Dale Earnhardt, who famously flashed him the middle finger at 185 mph. It was their last race together before Earnhardt's fatal crash.
In 2002, Kurt significantly improved in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, winning four races, finishing in the top 5 twelve times, and the top 10 twenty times, ending the year ranked third in points. He earned over $5 million that year. In 2005, despite four race wins, he ended the season in eleventh place in points. Kurt moved on from Roush Racing and joined Penske Racing in 2006.
(Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)
Career Controversies
Despite his successful career, Kurt has faced several controversies. In 2005, he was pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving in Maricopa County, Arizona. The sheriff's department did not release the results of his sobriety test due to a purported malfunction of their machine, resulting in Roush Racing suspending him for the last two races of the season.
In 2007, Kurt and his brother Kyle had a falling out after their cars crashed into each other during a race. The brothers later reconciled at their grandmother's request. In the 2011 Richmond Races, an incident between Kurt and driver Jimmie Johnson led to a confrontation that required NASCAR to put him on probation until December 2012. In 2015, NASCAR suspended Kurt due to domestic abuse allegations by his former girlfriend. No charges were filed, and his suspension was lifted after completing a reinstatement program.
Personal Life
Kurt has been involved in numerous rivalries with other drivers. In 2006, he was named the third most hated athlete behind Barry Bonds and Tyrell Owens. He underwent cosmetic surgery to have his ears pinned closer to his head.
Kurt was married to Eva Bryan from 2006 to 2011. He later married Ashley Van Metre in early 2017, and in 2019, they starred on the CMT reality show "Racing Wives." Ashley filed for divorce in 2022.
Real Estate
In 2013, Kurt paid $3.29 million for a 9,500-square-foot lakefront mansion in Mooresville, North Carolina, later listing it for $3.6 million in 2018 and selling it for $3.3 million a few months later. Here's a video tour of his former home:
In 2019, he listed a 138-acre undeveloped parcel near the mansion for $7.6 million but removed the listing in February 2020 and appears to still own it. In 2009, Kurt purchased a three-bedroom penthouse condo in Virginia Beach, VA, for $2.8 million, selling it in 2019 at a significant loss for $920,000. Kurt also owns an undeveloped oceanfront plot in Virginia Beach, which he attempted to sell in 2016 and 2017 for $1.5 million.
