Champion NASCAR driver Kurt Busch's wife Ashley files for divorce claiming he 'committed a tortious act'

The wife of famed NASCAR driver Kurt Busch has filed for divorce after five years, saying their marriage is "irretrievably broken". 

TMZ reports that Ashley Busch filed the papers in Florida on May 9 and claimed in the legal document that Kurt, 43, "committed a tortious act". 

Although Ashley – a polo player and model – did not elaborate, she went on to claim Kurt blocked her from accessing their joint bank account and credit cards when their marriage began to unravel in April. She also claimed the American race car driver demanded she leave the family home by the first week of June. 

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The outlet notes that the couple – who do not share any children together – did sign a prenup prior to their 2016 wedding.

Kurt has since issued a statement to TMZ in which he expressed his disappointment at the breakdown of their marriage.

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"I am heartbroken to confirm that my wife Ashley and I are working to dissolve our marriage," he wrote. "Divorce is a personal and private matter and I hope our privacy will be respected."

This will be Kurt's second divorce. He was previously married to Eva Bryan from 2006 to 2011 and they too had no children together. He first met Ashley in 2011 but they reconnected in 2015 and one year later they were married.

"When I was reintroduced to Ashley, that early moment came back," Kurt told The New York Times after their wedding. "Later that night, I told her there was 'a shooting star on the horizon and there she was.'"

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"No lies, no game playing, no agenda, nothing but love and respect," he added. "I was enjoying everything and wanted to play it out a little longer. I felt Ashley was a girl who could help make me a better person."

The breakup news comes days after Kurt – a 27-time race winner in Nascar's Sprint Cup Series – won his first race of the 2022 season at Kansas Speedway on the weekend. 

"WE DID IT!!!!! We had to play like the GOAT and race like the GOAT to win like the GOAT! This was all about teamwork! #KBXLV," he tweeted on Sunday.