The list of drivers with whom Kurt Busch has had altercations is a substantial one.

Perhaps that's why most drivers are keeping quiet about the post-Michigan punch he was allegedly dealt by Jimmy Spencer last Sunday. Then again, drivers haven't gone out of their way to dispel Busch's good-guy act and blame him, either.

So where do they stand when it comes to who's right and who's wrong? They stand where drivers normally stand -- wherever makes their sponsors most comfortable. And, given how livid two sponsors in NASCAR are right now, they feel quite content with the silence.

"I really don't know what all happened, and I'd rather plead the fifth on that one and let NASCAR do their job and Kurt and Jimmy sort everything out," Dodge driver Ryan Newman said.

"I don't exactly know what the story is," Chevy driver Jimmie Johnson said. "I've heard conflicting things. Obviously they (NASCAR) are in a position where they have to make a decision where they have to pass punishment out so they don't have a boxing match after every race. I don't really know all the details."

Investigators are working on the details right now. For now, what we know is this. Busch was overheard during the race to have said he tried to flatten Spencer's fender:

Busch: "See, I'm not very good at being bad. I was trying to flatten the seven car fender and I got mine. I needed to be further forward on his car."

Busch's crew: "They just showed that on TV. You just missed by about an inch or two. Not far enough forward."

Busch: "Inches only count unless you're playing Horseshoes and hand grenades. I don't want to play either with that clown."

	Kurt Busch wasn't happy with Jimmy Spencer after wrecking at Indy in 2002.

Busch's crew: "I hear you, man."

After the race, Busch said Spencer pulled beside him as they entered the garage. Busch said Spencer revved his engine, then fell in behind Busch. Busch then said he ran out of gas, Spencer bumped him, Spencer got out of his car in obvious anger and walked to Busch's window. Busch then said the two argued and, while Busch was still strapped into his car with his helmet off, Spencer hit him.

"I ran out of gas when I got in to the garage area, and Jimmy Spencer ran into the back of my car," Busch said in a statement after the incident. "I was still in the car when he approached me with obvious anger. Words were exchanged but I was still strapped in my seat with my helmet off when he struck me in the face. He broke my tooth and bloodied my nose."

"I have swelling on the left side of my face that is not expected to heal for three months," Busch said in a later statement. "My breathing has been affected, and although it will not affect my ability to race, it will make breathing with a helmet on more uncomfortable. ... I have been told that there is some tissue damage and there is a 15 percent chance I will require reconstructive surgery to repair the damage. That assessment will not be made until the swelling dissipates."

Busch said he will race this weekend at Bristol and will not appeal the probation penalty NASCAR handed down to him which keeps him under close watch through December. Spencer has been suspended through this weekend's race -- a penalty he appealed, but lost -- and fined $25,000.

And while the dust settles on a relationship which has always been volatile -- there have been two other public displays of hatred between the two -- the other drivers are staying mum. Robby Gordon is one voice who has spoken up in Spencer's defense, voicing his displeasure with Busch.

But others who have had problems with Busch in the past -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a minor dispute with Busch a few years ago and Todd Bodine got into it with Busch in 2001 -- have stayed quiet.

One driver, who asked not to be identified, put it this way:

"(Busch) hasn't been the best at making friends. I mean, the act he's got right now, I don't think anybody believes he's completely the victim here. So I don't think anybody's going to go out of their way to protect him."

What the drivers will say is that this is a sport of passion -- and emotions run as high as the RPMs.

	“	(Busch) hasn't been the best at making friends. I mean, the act he's got right now, I don't think anybody believes he's completely the victim here. So I don't think anybody's going to go out of their way to protect him. ”
		— An anonymous driver

"It's a tough business when it comes to attitudes and personalities and character so whatever happens happens and we'll just go on," Newman said. "My first Busch race I got into it with Elton Sawyer. He basically came over and did the same thing Jimmy Spencer did to me. I got the short end of the stick on that one. It's no fun, especially when you think it's not your fault.

"There's always a saying you can wait until afterwards and follow the guy to the McDonald's drive-thru and take care of him there if you've got that big of a problem with him."

Johnson acknowledged that this was one of the bigger incidents, but said there are arguments all the time. And with races at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway and ornery Darlington Raceway coming up, there will be arguments to come.

"There are a lot of heated moments that take place in the garage area after the races are over," Johnson said. "Most of the time they don't exchange into punches because NASCAR has fined people heavily for that in the past. Now, they're suspending people for it. That has always entered into people's minds.

"But after a Bristol or other races, you'd be surprised at how much yelling is going on and people expressing how they feel about what happened on the race track. But it rarely comes to blows. I've been in my own situations. If you feel that somebody has wronged you, you've got to get out and say something about it. It's surprising that it turned into what it did."

Rupen Fofaria is a freelance writer living in Chicago and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at rfofaria@espnspecial.com.