2012 season in the rear view: Kurt Busch

Vitals: 25th in the points standings. 0 wins, 1 top 5, 5 top 10s. 6 DNFs.

Moment to remember: Let's start with the positive, shall we? Busch finished third at Sonoma and was a contender for the win until he suffered a broken trackbar. But yet, he still finished third. It was a testament to Busch's driving ability and why he wasn't rideless for the 2012 season. The dude can wheel a race car.

Moment to forget: What else can we write about Busch that hasn't been written already? Here are the moments that Busch would like you to forget or believe were taken out of context or blown out of proportion in 2012:

-- Being confronted by Ryan Newman's gas can man after the race at Darlington. Newman's crew was mad that Busch smoked his tires through their box after both drivers had gone for a spin late in the race.

-- Threatening a reporter after being asked a question about racing Justin Allgaier in the Nationwide Series race at Dover while being on probation. Busch was subsequently suspended for the next week's race at Pocono.

-- After crashing at Talladega in October, Busch drove away from the accident scene with safety officials near his car and even a bag of equipment atop his car. As he was driving away from the scene, Busch had his helmet off, and said he couldn't hear the calls to stop his car.

-- Nicknaming himself "Outlaw." OK, so Busch wants you to remember that, but it's not in good form to give yourself a nickname, especially if it's going to be "Outlaw." It's best everyone forgets that one.

The wrap: This was supposed to be a redemptive year for Busch, right? One that was supposed to show how he was going to get back to "old school" racing and redeem himself after unceremoniously parting ways with Penske after 2011. Instead, Busch found himself in the spotlight under much the same circumstances in 2012. He moved to Furniture Row Racing for the final six races of the season, and closed out the year with three top 10s after scoring just two in 30 races for Phoenix Racing. Will the honeymoon period extend into 2013, or will Furniture Row and Busch be a good fit for each other?