Kurt Busch Suspension Upheld by NASCAR Following Appeal

One day after being suspended indefinitely for a domestic violence ruling that implied he was guilty of the crime, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch appealed his punishment Saturday.

CNN's Steve Almasy reported on Busch's initial suspension, and ESPN's Marty Smith reports that it has been upheld:

Dustin Long of NBC Sports reported that Busch's final appeal was also denied. Jeff Gluck of USA Today had Busch's attorney's statement on the matter:

The quick appeal was logical in that the Daytona 500, which is NASCAR's most prestigious race, commences Sunday. Long indicated that Busch's hearing with the final appeals officer would take place Saturday night at 7:30 ET.

Allegations of domestic assault stemmed from this last September at Dover International Speedway, when Busch allegedly inflicted physical harm on his former girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll. Busch claimed in January that Driscoll is a trained assassin.

According to USA Today's Mike Hembree and Jeff Gluck, Stewart-Haas Racing will replace Busch with Regan Smith for the Daytona 500 and still hasn't determined whether the No. 41 car will make an appearance in Atlanta for the next race.

Busch still has one more chance to keep his hopes of driving in the foreseeable future alive.

However, unlike what transpired in the Saturday appeal, Busch has to present first due to burden of proof at a hearing with National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss, per Long.

If Moss denies Busch's appeal, should the driver choose to go that route, the indefinite suspension will be upheld without any further action possible. It could also mark the end of Busch's career, depending on how long NASCAR decides to keep him out of action.