Judge says 'substantial likelihood' of future domestic violence by NASCAR's Kurt Busch

FILE - In this May 17, 2014 file photo, Kurt Busch, left, walks with his girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, after arriving for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Attorneys for the NASCAR driver asked a Delaware judge on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, to reopen a Family Court hearing that resulted in Busch's ex-girlfriend Driscoll being granted a no-contact order. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File) (The Associated Press)

Kurt Busch prepares to leave his garage during a practice session for the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (The Associated Press)

Driver Kurt Busch, left, gives his girlfriend Ashley Van Metre a kiss before getting in his car during qualifying for the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (The Associated Press)

A Delaware judge who ordered NASCAR driver Kurt Busch to stay away from his ex-girlfriend says there's a "substantial likelihood" of Busch committing acts of domestic violence in the future.

In a 25-page opinion Friday explaining why he issued the no-contact order this week, the judge said it was more likely than not that Busch "manually strangled" Patricia Driscoll in his motorhome at Dover International Speedway in September and smashed her head into a wall.

Busch has denied the alleged assault, which is the subject of a separate criminal investigation, but the judge said Driscoll's version of events was more credible than Busch's.

At the same time, however, the judge said he believed that Driscoll presented false testimony at times during the hearing on her request for the no-contact order.