Kawasaki Superbike rider Roger Lee Hayden had the small finger on his left hand—damaged in a crash at Barber last weekend—amputated on Thursday.

"No bone, no joint, they figured it was best to cut it off," Hayden said.

On the upside, Hayden feels remarkably better. He will undergo one more operation on the hand to tuck things back together, and then may well be released next week.

While losing a finger is never a matter to take lightly, the ramifications of losing that digit are relatively minor to a racer.

Three-time world champion Wayne Rainey crushed his left "pinky" finger in pre-season 1992. While there was a slim chance it could have been repaired, Rainey elected to have the digit amputated.

With nine-fingers, Rainey won the 1992 world championship.