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Originally Posted by Hazza
Does anyone have the video of Kurt bumping someone, then nextweek being bumped back into the wall, only for Kurt to get out of the car and moon them? Who was that? (Rustyfan?)
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You're thinking of the Kurt Busch vs. Jimmy Spencer feud that raged between 2001 and 2003 over four rounds.
It started in October 2001 at Phoenix, where Jimmy Spencer - who was a lap down at the time - put Kurt Busch in the wall. Busch, who at that time was in his rookie year, had been running in the top-10 and was, understandably, less than thrilled with missing out on a good finish.
Five months later during the spring race at Bristol in 2002, Spencer was leading the race with less than 50 laps to go when Busch gave him a hard shot in the rear and bumped him out of the way. Spencer managed to save the car and eventually wound up second. It was after this incident the feud started to pick up some momentum, as Spencer was anything but pleased after the race: “We don’t forget. When I smash back, he won’t finish.”
Another five months later, in August, the Winston Cup Series moved on to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400. 36 laps into the race Busch passed Spencer going down the backstretch and as they entered turn 3 Spencer tagged Busch in the rear, sending him hard into the wall. As the pace car lead the field past the scene of the crash, Busch - who had remained at his car after climbing out unhurt - gestured at Spencer...
...and then showed his displeasure by giving Spencer "the Evil Arse":
After Busch came out of the infield and met the press, he uttered the following:
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Originally Posted by Kurt Busch
"We've been having trouble with Turn 3 and spun during qualifying and that put us in a bad position," Busch said. "Back there with the decrepit old has-beens -- I guess."
"It's just been a tough break. He calls out what he's going to do and then actually goes out there and does it. I guess 'never-was' is really the term we need to bring up today."
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Not to take anything away from Spencer's abilities as a driver, but personally I just love that quote by Busch and I wish we had more feuds involving insults of that calibre
Now you ask yourself, was that the last round in the Busch vs. Spencer feud? Was Busch's arsetacular display at Indianapolis enough to put the feud to rest once and for all?
Of course not.
A year later in August of 2003, after the second race of the year at Michigan had just finished, Kurt Busch was driving through the garage area to get to his hauler. Unfortunately he ran out of fuel on the way and, for some reason, just happened to stop right in front of Jimmy Spencer's hauler. Moments later Busch was struck from behind by none other than Spencer himself. Spencer was angry. No, make that
very angry. Fuming he exited his car and went over to the #97 Ford, which Busch - perhaps wisely - hadn't left yet and punched him right on the nose!
Spencer was suspended for one week following the skirmish and Kurt Busch was put on probation after it surfaced that Kurt Busch had told his crew chief during the race that he was trying to flatten Spencer's fender on purpose to mess up his race:
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Originally Posted by Kurt Busch
"See, I'm not very good at being bad. I was trying to flatten the 7 car fender and I got mine. I needed to be further forward on his car." (Which easily could have cut one of Spencer's tires, which might not be the best of ideas at Michigan where speeds approach 200 mph - just ask Elliott Sadler who cut a tire during practice and flipped around 10 times at Michigan in 2000 // RF note)
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Unfortunately for Busch's nose, Spencer's team picked up on that transmission and told Spencer and the rest is, as they say, post-race nose-punching history
As for a video of the "mooning", I haven't found one online. I believe I have it on tape somewhere, but I no longer have the means - well that are installed & ready anyway - to make a capture of it.