Ashley Van Metre is much more than the former wife of NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. Long before their relationship placed her in front of a wider television audience, she had built a name for herself as a competitive polo player, equestrian, model and entrepreneur. Her career has taken her to polo fields in the United States and abroad, while her interests in fashion and business have helped her develop an identity beyond professional sports.
Many racing fans came to know her as Ashley Busch, especially during her appearances alongside Kurt and on the reality series Racing Wives. Today, however, she is again publicly known as Ashley Van Metre and continues to focus on entrepreneurship, fashion, health and wellness. Her journey offers an interesting look at athletic ambition, public attention and building an independent career.
Ashley Van Metre Quick Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ashley Ann Van Metre |
| Also Known As | Ashley Busch |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Polo player, entrepreneur and model |
| Famous For | Polo career and former marriage to Kurt Busch |
| Former Husband | Kurt Busch |
| Sport | Polo |
| Business Venture | Monarch Reign |
| Reality TV | Racing Wives |
| Children With Kurt Busch | None publicly reported |
| Social Media | Active under the Ashley Van Metre name |
| Main Interests | Polo, horses, fashion, health and wellness |
Early Life and Background
Ashley Van Metre developed a connection with horses when she was still a child. A profile published by Wellington The Magazine reported that she first began riding at about five years old and quickly became passionate about horses. She later discovered polo and turned that early interest into serious competition.
Her competitive personality also had roots in her family. Van Metre has spoken about coming from a family that enjoyed competitive sports, with her father and grandfather involved in sailboat racing. That environment appears to have encouraged the determination that eventually became important to her polo career.
Instead of treating horseback riding simply as a hobby, she developed her skills over the years and became closely involved with the equestrian world. Polo gave her a way to combine her love of horses with speed, strategy and competition.
That combination eventually became one of the defining parts of her public identity.
Her Age and Physical Features
The exact birth date of Ashley Van Metre is not consistently documented by authoritative sources.
Several online profiles list a September birthday and place her birth around 1990 or 1991. However, established magazine profiles from 2017 and 2018 described her as 27 years old at the time, creating some disagreement between published sources.
For that reason, it is safer to say that she is in her mid-30s as of 2026 rather than presenting an uncertain date as confirmed fact.
Van Metre has also worked professionally in modeling, and her public appearances reflect the polished style associated with that side of her career. She is generally recognizable by her blonde hair and athletic appearance, but commonly repeated height, weight and body measurements online are not supported consistently enough to treat them as verified facts.
Her athletic background is more meaningful than individual measurements. Polo demands coordination, balance, endurance and confidence on horseback, making physical fitness an important part of the sport.
Career and Major Achievements
Ashley Van Metre built much of her reputation through competitive polo.
She has competed in tournaments both in the United States and internationally, including events connected with prominent polo communities in Florida, England and other locations. Earlier career profiles credit her with victories in tournaments such as the Port Mayaca 14-goal and International Polo Club 12-goal competitions.
One of her most recognizable appearances came in 2018 when she competed alongside Prince Harry in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup in England. Their Sentebale St. Regis team won the event, attracting international attention to both the tournament and its charitable purpose.
Her involvement with major polo events continued after she became widely known through NASCAR. In August 2022, she competed for the U.S. Polo Assn. team at the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup in Aspen, Colorado.
Van Metre has also served as a female global brand ambassador for U.S. Polo Assn. That role allowed her to combine competitive sport with fashion and lifestyle marketing while helping bring greater visibility to women in polo.
Beyond sport, she developed experience in professional modeling. Earlier reports linked her with Wilhelmina Miami and other modeling representation, giving her another career path outside the polo field.
She later moved into entrepreneurship through fashion and lifestyle projects, including the swimwear and fashion brand Monarch Reign.
Relationship With Kurt Busch
The relationship between Ashley Van Metre and Kurt Busch brought her considerably more mainstream recognition.
The pair reportedly met in 2014 after being introduced through Van Metre’s sister. Van Metre later described feeling an immediate connection with Busch, and the relationship developed quickly.
They became engaged in August 2015.
At the time, both were pursuing demanding careers in very different sports. Busch traveled across the United States competing in NASCAR, while Van Metre balanced polo tournaments, equestrian commitments and modeling work.
Their shared competitive nature became an obvious connection between them. Both understood the commitment involved in competing professionally and the pressure that comes with public sporting careers.
Their relationship also increased interest in Van Metre among NASCAR fans who previously knew little about professional polo.
Marriage and Family Life
Ashley Van Metre and Kurt Busch married on January 7, 2017, in St. Barts. They later celebrated with family and friends at a reception in Palm Beach, Florida. NASCAR and lifestyle publications covered the marriage extensively because of Busch’s racing fame and Van Metre’s growing profile in polo and fashion.
During their marriage, Van Metre was widely known publicly as Ashley Busch.
She frequently appeared with her husband at NASCAR-related events and awards ceremonies. In 2019, she also became familiar to reality-TV audiences through Racing Wives, which focused on women connected to the NASCAR world.
The marriage lasted approximately five years.
In May 2022, Van Metre filed for divorce in Florida, stating in court documents that the marriage was irretrievably broken. Busch subsequently confirmed that the couple was separating and asked that their privacy be respected.
Since the separation, she has increasingly returned to using her birth name professionally and publicly.
Social Media Presence
Social media gives Ashley Van Metre a way to present herself independently from the NASCAR attention that once surrounded her marriage.
Her Instagram presence uses the @ashleyvanmetre name and describes her around entrepreneurship, fashion, health and wellness. Her profile also identifies her as the founder of Monarch Reign.
Her content reflects several parts of her lifestyle rather than concentrating on one subject. Fashion, travel, business and personal interests all appear within her public image.
This is significant because older search results often refer to her primarily as Ashley Busch. Her current branding makes the Ashley Van Metre name much more prominent.
Social platforms have therefore become an important part of how she has reshaped her identity following her marriage.
Who Is Kurt Busch?
Kurt Busch is an American former professional NASCAR driver and one of the notable competitors of his generation.
He won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2004 and later captured the prestigious Daytona 500 in 2017. Across more than two decades of Cup Series competition, Busch recorded 34 victories.
He stepped away from full-time racing after suffering a concussion during the 2022 season and formally announced his retirement from Cup Series competition in August 2023.
Busch was later selected for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026, recognizing his achievements throughout his racing career.
His success naturally brought significant public attention to his marriage, but Ashley Van Metre had already established herself within polo before the two became a couple.
Personality and Interests
Competitive drive appears to be one of the clearest themes running through Ashley Van Metre’s career.
Although she has described herself as fairly reserved away from competition, polo brings out a much more intense side of her personality. The sport rewards quick decision-making, confidence and determination—all qualities reflected in her years of competitive play.
Horses remain one of her longest-standing interests. Her relationship with equestrian sport began during childhood, years before modeling, business or reality television entered the picture.
Fashion is another important part of her identity.
Rather than remaining only a model for other brands, Van Metre eventually moved toward creating and developing her own fashion concepts. Monarch Reign grew from that interest, combining her entrepreneurial ambitions with experience gained from years around fashion and lifestyle marketing.
Her more recent public profile also emphasizes health and wellness, suggesting that her interests have continued expanding beyond polo and clothing.
Does Ashley Van Metre Have Children?
There is no reliable public reporting showing that Ashley Van Metre and Kurt Busch had children together during their marriage.
Major profiles discussing the couple’s relationship, wedding and divorce do not identify any children from their marriage.
Van Metre also appears to keep much of her private life separate from what she shares publicly.
Because family information can be personal, claims about children should not be made unless they have been confirmed by Van Metre herself or by reliable reporting.
Based on publicly available information, she and Kurt Busch did not have children together.
Net Worth and Income
No authoritative financial record publicly confirms the exact net worth of Ashley Van Metre.
Various entertainment websites publish estimates, but those figures are generally not supported by audited financial documents or statements from Van Metre. For that reason, presenting a specific dollar amount as fact would be misleading.
What can be established more confidently is that her career has included several potential income sources.
Competitive polo, modeling, brand ambassador work and entrepreneurship have all formed parts of her professional life. Her work with U.S. Polo Assn. expanded her visibility within the fashion and sporting industries, while Monarch Reign created another independent business venture.
Her marriage to a wealthy NASCAR driver also should not be used as evidence of her personal wealth.
Until verified financial information becomes publicly available, her exact net worth is best described as undisclosed.
Public Image and Legacy
Ashley Van Metre initially became known within a relatively specialized sporting community.
Polo does not receive the same mainstream American media attention as NASCAR, football or basketball, but Van Metre developed a meaningful profile within the sport through competition, international appearances and brand partnerships.
Her marriage to Kurt Busch dramatically increased that visibility.
For many fans, Ashley Busch became a familiar name through NASCAR appearances and Racing Wives. Yet focusing entirely on that relationship misses the career she had already developed.
Van Metre’s strongest public identity comes from the way she combines multiple worlds.
She is an equestrian athlete comfortable with the intensity of polo competition, a model familiar with the fashion industry and an entrepreneur interested in building independent brands.
Her advocacy for greater visibility for women in polo has also been a recurring part of her career. In interviews, she has emphasized that women can compete successfully in demanding sporting environments and should not feel limited by traditional expectations.
Because she remains professionally active, it may be too early to describe her complete “legacy.” Her story is still developing.
Conclusion
Ashley Van Metre has built a public life that extends far beyond being Kurt Busch‘s former wife.
Her connection with horses began in childhood and eventually developed into an international polo career. Along the way, she moved into modeling, represented major lifestyle brands and became an entrepreneur with interests in fashion, health and wellness.
Marriage to a NASCAR champion brought her greater fame, but it was never the beginning of her professional story.
Following her divorce, Ashley Van Metre has increasingly returned to an identity built around her own name, businesses and interests. That independence may ultimately be the most interesting part of her journey: she has continued moving between athletics, fashion and entrepreneurship while defining herself on her own terms.
FAQs About Ashley Van Metre
Who is Ashley Van Metre?
Ashley Van Metre is an American competitive polo player, entrepreneur and model. She became widely known to mainstream audiences during her marriage to NASCAR champion Kurt Busch.
Is Ashley Van Metre still married to Kurt Busch?
No. Van Metre filed for divorce from Kurt Busch in May 2022 after approximately five years of marriage. Reliable media coverage has since referred to her as Busch’s ex-wife.
What does Ashley Van Metre do for a living?
Her professional background includes competitive polo, modeling, brand ambassador work and entrepreneurship. Her current public profile also highlights fashion, health and wellness.
Is Ashley Van Metre a professional polo player?
She has competed seriously in polo at prominent tournaments in the United States and internationally. Her career includes tournament victories and appearances at high-profile charity polo events.
Did Ashley Van Metre play polo with Prince Harry?
Yes. She competed alongside Prince Harry at the 2018 Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup, where their team won the event.
Does Ashley Van Metre have children with Kurt Busch?
No children from their marriage have been publicly reported by reliable sources.
What is Ashley Van Metre’s net worth?
Her exact net worth has not been reliably disclosed. Although various websites publish estimates, there is no authoritative public financial documentation confirming a specific figure.
What is Ashley Van Metre doing now?
Her current public profile focuses on entrepreneurship, fashion, health and wellness, including her involvement with Monarch Reign. She also continues to be associated publicly with the polo world.
