“When somebody does something so blatant”: When Kurt Busch left no room for doubt regarding his ‘middle finger’ policy

Former NASCAR driver Kurt Busch remarked on his 'middle finger' policy in 2017. The Nevada native sat down with motorsports reporter Jeff Gluck when he left no room for misinterpretation of what would provoke a hand gesture from him.

Busch contested in NASCAR's Premier Level for 24 years. He participated in 776 races, claimed the 2004 Cup Series championship, and registered 34 career wins. He also ventured into the Xfinity and Truck Series, but those stints were short-lived.

The 46-year-old legend has encountered several blatant moves from his rivals throughout his career. However, according to him, it would take three blatant strikes by the rival to instigate him to flash a middle finger. Busch told Gluck he didn't use his middle finger for a significant time as it "came with so many penalties."

"I haven’t used it in a while because it came with so many penalties — not from other drivers, just from NASCAR. Honestly, I haven’t used it in a while. It’s usually when somebody does something so blatant and that blatant moment was backed up by three consistent blatant moments. So you usually need to have three strikes to get something pretty big," Busch said via Jeff Gluck.

Kurt once flashed his middle finger during the 2011 race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway and was heavily reprimanded by a $50,000 fine.

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Kurt Busch delivers a hopeful message concerning his NASCAR return

Kurt Busch was observing his maiden season with 23XI Racing, his 23rd overall season, and was nearly halfway done with the 2022 slate. However, tragedy struck during the qualifying event at the Pocono Raceway, as Busch's #45 Toyota slammed hard into the wall.

The horrific turnaround resulted in a life-threatening concussion for the NASCAR champion, forcing him to miss the remaining season. But the severe repercussions of the Pocono blow were such that Busch couldn't heal it aptly and thus, announced his NASCAR exit.

Nonetheless, a ray of hope has emerged as Kurt Busch provided a promising update regarding his upkeep. The legendary driver told Racer.com that his vestibular system, responsible for body balance and spatial orientation, was negatively impacted due to the wreck, but seldom outlined that multiple visits to physiologists, neurologists, and more have significantly improved his concussion

I’m feeling much, much better since the summer wreck in 2022 and all of the different physical therapy, different neurologist visits," Busch said.

"It was taxing for a while. Basically every other day it was a doctor visit somewhere and going to get hearing checked, eyes checked, balance checked. The vestibular movements were what was greatly affected. I still feel the lingering effects but it has calmed down, and it has been through all the physical therapy and all the great doctors who have helped me."

Considering Kurt Busch's recovery pace, do you think he'd grace the paddock for competitive NASCAR racing again anytime soon?