AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) -Kurt Busch left the desert last year in disgrace, embroiled in a reckless driving arrest that cost him the final two weeks of the season and tarnished his already shaky image.
Now he's back for Saturday night's race at Phoenix International Raceway, the controversy behind him and his sense of humor intact. He arrived in Arizona early to complete the 50 hours of community service he was sentenced to after pleading guilty for the Nov. 11 traffic stop.
His work included a fundraiser at Chase Field, where he also threw out the first pitch for a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants game and saw slugger Barry Bonds in person.
``When Barry Bonds came up to bat there were all the boos - poor guy, I know what you're going through,'' he quipped. ``I was asked if I expected to get booed louder than Barry Bonds. I said, ``There's no way, dude.' ``
Busch isn't at the same level of animosity as Bonds, but the driver is still poorly received almost everywhere he goes.
But he's working hard to change that, especially in Arizona, where his free-fall from champion to chump was completed.
Busch was pulled over last November and deputies, who said they suspected him of driving drunk, accused him of being rude and belligerent to them. Although he was ticketed only for reckless driving, his Roush Racing employers kicked him out of his car for the final two races of the season.
Busch, the defending series champion, would finish the season out at home.
He ultimately plea-bargained the charges to a speeding ticket, and he paid a $580 fine. He had until next February to knock out his community service, but got it all taken care of the past two weeks.
First up was a filming a public service announcement with Sheriff Joe Arpaio that preached safe driving. The two were adversaries just five months ago, with Arpaio taking a strong stance against Busch's behavior.
``This is Maricopa County and our streets are not to be used as raceways,'' Arpaio said after the traffic stop. ``He ought to confine his speeding to the racetrack. And I don't like anybody being abusive to my deputies - I don't care who they are.''
But their reunion went off without a hitch.
``That was fun to meet with him,'' Busch said. ``He was very surprised with my demeanor and how open I was to him and some of his sarcastic jokes about last year. We definitely had a great time meeting one another.''
Then it was off to Friendship Park in Avondale, where he signed autographs for hours and donated $10,000 worth of baseball equipment to the Westside Recreational Program.
``Since last December, we've been putting this together to make an impact in children's youth sports,'' Busch said. ``Winning the championship, kids recognize me when I'm out and about. If I could have just one kid go, Man, that was my guy.
``If I could have just one kid root for me, then that's the motive to go out there and do these types of things.''
But Busch still has a lot of repair work to do. Although he took the highroad last month when rival Kevin Harvick lobbied several verbal volleys at him, he's rankled former teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle in two on-track altercations. The one with Biffle started a larger controversy when Biffle's girlfriend angrily confronted Busch's fiancee on pit road after the accident.
Despite all his troubles, Kenseth still believes Kurt and his younger brother, Kyle, must be considered contenders on Saturday night. Kyle, who won here in November, will start from the pole; Kurt qualified seventh.
``I think they'll be two of the guys to beat,'' Kenseth said. ``Both those guys run really good here, but they run pretty good everywhere. Both of those guys are really talented and they figure out how to run out front at most tracks.''
