Kyle Busch Gives Middle Finger to NASCAR Official, Gets Two-Lap Penalty

Kyle Busch, angered that he had been called for a pit-lane speeding violation, gave a NASCAR official a notorious single-finger gesture for several seconds during Sunday's AAA Texas 500.

Busch was then given a two-lap penalty by NASCAR for the salute, which was shown live on ESPN. He finished the race at Texas Motor Speedway in 32nd place, dropping the fiery Joe Gibbs Racing driver two spots to 11th in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"I lost my cool in what I was doing, and, at the time, I had no worries about a camera inside the car at that point," said Busch after the race as reported by The Dallas Morning News. "You get spun out and wreck, you're not supposed to lose your cool. I mean, hello? I wasn't trying to speed, but apparently I must have been a couple lights over on my tachometer."

Update: NASCAR Fines Kyle Busch $25K for Gesture
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Busch, who began the Chase in fourth place, had just spun out, blowing all four tires on Lap 159. He made it back to pit lane, but the speeding violation came when he attempted to beat out the pace car to stay on the lead leap.

Beyond the on-track penalties, NASCAR could fine Busch or take away driver and owner points for his actions. Sunday's gesture marked yet another episode for Busch, who has been known for run-ins with other drivers and officials. Busch, 25, took issue a day earlier as he claimed Carl Edwards may have jumped the green flag on the final restart of the Nationwide Series race.

JGR president J.D. Gibbs took up for Busch after the race, even comparing him to another intense character that also raced for the team.

"They express it different ways," Gibbs told reporters as JGR's Denny Hamlin not only won the race, but seized control of the points lead. "We went through a lot of the same issues when Tony Stewart was driving for us. ... When things don't go well (for Busch), I think there's a real frustration there. I think that's just something that he's going to have to continue to work on, and I think he acknowledges that, he admits that."