"He knows he dumped me on purpose": Kurt Busch gets real about his infamous exchange with Jimmy Spencer

In a recent interview, Kurt Busch revisited one of the most infamous rivalries of his NASCAR career. His feud with Jimmy Spencer spanned over two seasons, reaching a boiling point in the 2002 Brickyard 400 when the 2004 Cup champion accused Spencer of deliberately wrecking him.

Busch has never been one to hide emotion, especially in the early days of his career. In just his sophomore year in NASCAR, he was still adapting to the media glare and sponsor expectations after jumping into the big leagues from Legend Cars. It was then that he got involved in an intense rivalry with Cup Series veteran Jimmy Spencer at Bristol in March 2022.

Later that year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch was spun out by Spencer, which sparked an infamous reaction. Speaking to NASCAR reporter Shannon Spake, Busch recalled:

"I was reprimanded by a sponsor after Indianapolis 2002. When I got out of the car, when Jimmy Spencer, he knows he dumped me on purpose, and I was fuming. I stood there by the car and... when Spencer came by, I was just so mad, I went down there and I'm like, 'You took me out on purpose'." (1:19 onwards)

Kurt Busch was running 17th on Lap 41 of the Brickyard 400 in his #97 Roush Racing Ford when he went past Spencer on the straightaway. As he settled in front, Spencer bumped him on his rear, spinning him into the barriers.

Busch got out of his car and waited for NASCAR's safety teams. As Spencer drove by, he walked over and gestured toward his rear bumper. The racing sign traditionally meant going to the rear of the field, referencing short-track etiquette. But the message was misread by the national audience and media.

"In short track racing, there's a guy on the on the track that communicates with the flag man on who goes to the back of the pack, after somebody wrecks somebody. So, it was pat the rear end, send them to the rear and that's what I was trying to (say), 'you go to the back of the pack'. 99.9% of the viewers in America thought (I was telling him to kiss my a**)," Busch explained (1:50 onwards)

The fallout was swift. On the following Monday, Kurt Busch was called by the CEO of his sponsor and grilled about the USA Today cover image, which showed him mid-gesture. He was ordered to undergo media training - a process emblematic of NASCAR moving further away from its brash, blue-collar roots.

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The Kurt Busch vs Jimmy Spencer feud that boiled over in 2003

Kurt Busch (97) side by side with Jimmy Spencer (7 ) during the 2007 NASCAR Winston Cup Banquet 400. Source: Getty

Long before the Brickyard clash, the seeds of the Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer rivalry were planted at Bristol in March 2002. In just his 48th Cup Series start, Busch made an aggressive move to take the lead from Spencer, bumping him out of the way on Turn 2.

That victory was Busch's first career Cup win, but it didn’t sit well with Spencer. Later that summer at Indianapolis, Spencer retaliated by wrecking Busch, leading to the now-infamous 'rear bumper' incident. But the worst was yet to come.

In August 2003, at Michigan, tempers boiled over again when the two made contact during the race. After climbing out of their cars, Spencer stormed toward Busch post-race, reached into his window, and punched him in the face. Busch was left bloodied, and Spencer was suspended and fined by NASCAR.

Kurt Busch speaks to the media before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Source: Getty

Looking back, Busch now recognizes how much his early career was shaped by his lack of experience.

"I definitely had a raw set of emotions, early in my career and just being young. Being in my early twenties and thrust into this spotlight. I was literally racing legend cars in 1999 in Vegas, and in 2000, I'm making my first Cup start, after just six months in a truck. It went that fast. So, I was that raw and I didn't have the professional side of what it took to be a professional race car driver," Kurt Busch told Shanon Spake (0.01 onwards)

It was one of the last raw, gloves-off rivalries before the full weight of modern NASCAR's media training era took hold.

Over time, Kurt Busch evolved into a driver who balanced intensity with introspection. But the Spencer feud remains a defining chapter of his legacy.