Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, and 4 Other Race Car Drivers Who Were Busted for Being Creepy
The Biff’s marital voyeurism is the tip of a very creepy iceberg.
Professional race car drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., are known for their eccentricities. Maybe it's the relentless, lifelong proximity to risk that brings out the weird, or maybe the weird is what drew them to the risk in the first place. Regardless, while Junior's eccentricity is cool, and just another interesting aspect to an all-around good guy, in some drivers the eccentricity crosses the line into genuine creepy terrain.
After the arrest this week ofDavey Hamilton Jr., it's probably time to take a step back and look at some of the more colorful creeps who've taken the wheel of a race car. Are they the worst humans to ever climb into the driver's seat? You decide.
6. Rogerio Scotton
The relatively little-known Rogerio Scotton climbed his way to infamy by being stupid—but not before racing in grassroots leagues, including Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Skip Barber Southern Regional Series, making one Rolex Grand-Am appearance later in his career.
Scotton first appeared in headlines in 2014, when it was revealed that he had committed 26 counts of mail fraud by faking an international shipping business. Later, he was busted for a sham marriage that was arranged for immigration purposes. That last bit sparked controversy in the courtroom and eventually made national news when he offered to publicly validate his love for his wife in an unorthodox way.
Scotton, who was born in Boca Raton, Florida, requested to show the jury multiple sex tapes involving himself and his wife. The court declined. When asked by the judge if he was sure about displaying his wife's private life to strangers, Scotton reportedly explained, "Why is the privacy of my wife important at this point? I'm facing jail time."
5. Frank Warren
For years, Warren was known for driving in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series from 1963 to 1980. Though he never reached Victory Lane, he did complete over 88,000 laps, reaching 8th in the championship rankings in 1971.
However, the Georgia native's reputation took a hit in May of 2018, when he was found engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of five years old. Warren, at the time, was 83. He was resultantly arrested and charged with aggravated child molestation.
4. Rick Crawford
This was one of 2018's major off-track racing stories. Former NASCAR Truck Series pro Rick Crawford was arrested for sexually enticing a fictitious minor. Federal agents put out a baiting post on Craigslist, posing as a man named Mike who would accept money in exchange for illicit acts with his made-up 12-year-old daughter. Crawford subsequently replied to the post, offering $50 to $75 to "Mike." The 60-year-old allegedly conversed with an agent unknowingly via text and email, saying he'd “love for her to be naked and ready" when he met the young girl.
Crawford was arrested at the set meeting spot and then dealt a 130-month prison sentence for his actions, which he denies. In his defense, he claimed the Craigslist poster was engaging in a fantasy in which his wife or girlfriend would pretend to be a 12-year-old female.
3. Davey Hamilton Jr.
Twenty-one-year-old Davey Hamilton Jr. is the most recent offender on the list. He was nailed for aggravated assault and false imprisonment of an ex-girlfriend in February 2019.
The USAC Silver Crown driver and son of longtime IndyCar pilot Davey Hamilton Sr. reportedly lured his ex-girlfriend away from her home state of Indiana to Florida as part of a business opportunity, which turned out to be fake. Hamilton Jr. told the woman that he was the owner of a vodka company (not true) and offered to make her a brand ambassador. He then flew her to West Palm Beach and illegally broke into her hotel room. The victim was in the shower at the time and Hamilton Jr.—in a distinctly Hitchcockian vignette—reportedly tore down the shower curtain while weilding a 10-inch knife.
Somehow, the woman escaped the hotel room after being held hostage for some time. Hamilton Jr. was apprehended by police and take into custody with a $30,000 bail set for his release.
2. Kurt Busch
Undeniably the winningest and most recognizable name on this list, Kurt Busch has been the poster child for swings of fortune throughout a career. He's a former NASCAR Cup champion whose private life made the front page when he was accused of domestic violence by ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll.
The back-and-forth saga dominated racing news in 2015, when Busch was suspended by NASCAR just two weeks before the Daytona 500. Over the course of the drama, Busch would go on to claim that Driskoll was a "trained assassin" and “knew she could take [him] down at any minute because she’s a badass."
At the end of it all, police decided that there was "not enough evidence" to convict Busch of the crime, and he continued his season with Stewart-Haas Racing. Although it's largely been swept under the rug since then, it's a harsh stain on the talented driver's lengthy run.
1. Greg Biffle
The entertainingly-named Biffle was beloved by fans and became fairly successful on oval tracks, earning Rookie of the Year awards in NASCAR's Truck and Busch Series before managing 13 Cup Series poles in his career. He was voted the Busch Series' Most Popular Driver in 2002 and went on to drive for Roush Fenway Racing.
Two years after his retirement, though, Biffle's personal life was dragged into public view. News broke that he was being sued by his ex-wife Nicole Lunders for violating her privacy, a claim she made after finding security cameras had been installed in the couple's home bedroom and bathroom without her knowledge.
Biffle was ordered to pay $250,001 to Lunders as payment for actual and punitive damages.
