Kyle Busch detained last month in Mexico for gun possession

Bob Pockrass

FOX NASCAR Insider

Kyle Busch said he forgot he had a gun in his bag while traveling in Mexico last month and was detained by Mexican authorities.

The Public Ministry of the Attorney General of the Republic in Quintana Roo put out a news release Friday about a Nevada native being arrested Jan. 27 after finding a .380-caliber gun in his luggage when going through airport security prior to planning to board a private plane.

The news release identified the defendant as Kyle Thomas B. The Cancun Sun identified it as Busch, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

According to the news release, a judge on Jan. 29 issued a sentence of 3.5 years in prison and an approximate fine of $1,100. Busch obviously was allowed to leave the country, as he finished third in the Clash on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Busch posted a statement Monday night on Twitter:

NASCAR said Busch informed it of the incident and that he would not face any discipline.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass, and sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.

Top NASCAR stories from FOX Sports: