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NASCAR driver Kyle Busch talks with reporters and photographers outside the Iredell County Hall of Justice in Statesville, N.C., following his court appearance Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 23, 2011.Todd Sumlin

NASCAR star Kyle Busch will continue racing in the Sprint Cup Series, but he won't be driving on the street for the next 45 days.

Busch, 26, had his driver's licence suspended for 45 days and received a $1,000 fine Tuesday in exchange for pleading guilty to speeding after being stopped for driving 128 miles an hour in a 45 mph zone.

Busch, who won Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway, was fined and received the licence suspension during a 35-minute hearing in North Carolina District Court for Iredell County in Mooresville, N.C.

In addition to pleading guilty to the speeding charges, Busch pleaded no contest to careless and reckless driving; had he been found guilty, punishment would have been much more severe. He faced a maximum punishment up to 60 days in jail and a one-year suspension of his driver's license, which would also have included a conviction of a second-class misdemeanour.

Busch was stopped on May 24 by an Iredell County Sheriff's Deputy for driving a $400,000 2012 luxury Lexus sports car on a two-lane road that adjoined a residential area on the outskirts of Mooresville.

In addition to the suspended licence and fine, Busch also received a 30-day suspended jail sentence, one year of unsupervised probation and must serve 30 hours of community service. However, Judge H. Thomas Church told Busch that if he gets into trouble with the law again in the next year, he could potentially receive a jail sentence for the reckless driving charge -- of which the sentencing is on hold, pending Busch's successfully staying out of trouble.

"Obviously I had a lack of judgment and just made a mistake," Busch said two days after being cited. "And I'm sorry for making that mistake. ... Fortunately there was no one hurt, but that doesn't make any kind of an excuse for what happened and for my lack in judgment for what I did."

Busch did not comment after Tuesday's sentencing. He also could face potential punishment from the team he races for, Joe Gibbs Racing. Officials of JGR have refused comment on what, if any, internal punishment will be meted out to Busch for his actions.

"We'll probably keep some of it confidential and hopefully we can move on," team president J.D. Gibbs said Sunday at MIS.

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