Kurt Busch on return to seat: 'It means the world to me'

Kurt Busch said Wednesday he's eager to return to the cockpit of the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, where he'll begin his quest for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

"It means the world to me to be back in the car," Busch said.

Earlier in the day, NASCAR lifted Busch's indefinite suspension, which it imposed Feb. 20 in conjunction with an alleged incident of domestic violence that took place last September in Dover, Delaware.

Busch, who on March 5 was cleared of criminal charges in the case by the Delaware Department of Justice, spoke to reporters for about nine minutes during a national teleconference Wednesday afternoon.

The driver strongly denied any wrongdoing.

"You know, it's been a tough situation in the last few months and I've gone through this with confidence, knowing that I know the truth and that I never did any of things I was accused of," Busch said. "It was a complete fabrication. It's unfortunate that my personal life crossed over and affected my business life.

"But I can't wait to get to the track, to see my team, to shake their hands and say thanks for the support and to go out there and make my first lap this weekend," Busch said.

To make the Chase, Busch will likely have to win one of the 23 remaining races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular season, in addition to finishing that period in the top 30 in points. After sitting out the first three races of the year, Busch is 42 points out of 30th place right now, but that's a manageable number to make up.

"I believe I have cars capable of winning races," Busch said. "Now, I've got to go out and do my job."

NASCAR has said it will continue to monitor Busch's situation. The driver remains on indefinite probation.

"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," said Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, in a statement released earlier in the day by NASCAR.

Busch agreed to NASCAR's terms and conditions for reinstatement roughly two weeks ago, making this a brief suspension.

"I understand why NASCAR needed to take the action that it did," said Busch. "This is a very serious issue. ... I never wavered through this whole process because of the confidence in the truth."

The three races Busch missed were the Daytona 500, NASCAR's biggest race; Atlanta, one of his favorite tracks; and Las Vegas, his hometown track. "It's been torture sitting out of the car," Busch said.

"It's a humbling process," Busch added. "But it's made me more focused and determined."

Busch also said he talked with NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France during this process.

"He (France) told me ... 'Don't change. Don't be the person that's different in the car, but be a different person outside of the car,' and so Brian said, 'Go be yourself in that car. That's what we really love. We love Kurt Busch behind the wheel. Go out there, use that passion, go for those wins,' and that's my focus, is to be humble through this whole process but let actions speak louder than words."