As Taylor Gray earned his first career win at Martinsville and the Championship 4 was set, tempers exploded in the middle of the field.
Jeb Burton, who promised to retaliate against Sam Mayer for an earlier run-in, pushed him out of the way in the final corner. Burton finished sixth, and Mayer only lost one spot to finish seventh.
However, Mayer let the emotions overwhelm him after finishing the race, wrecking both himself and Burton in Turn 1 on the cooldown lap.
Watch: Mayer spins Burton post-race: ‘Jeb needs a wake-up call’
As a result, NASCAR has chosen to suspend Mayer for one race, who will now sit out the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. This will also be the first race Mayer has missed since June of the 2021 NXS season.
Mayer was eliminated from title contention at Martinsville, but the feud with Burton didn’t impact that outcome. Before the penalty, he was fifth in the championship standings, but that will obviously change now. He is likely to lose several positions in the standings in the final race.
Ryan Sieg, who normally drives the Haas-aligned No. 39 RSS Racing Ford, will pilot the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford at Phoenix.
This week’s penalty report also included a suspension for two crew members from the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing, which was expected. Cody Ware spun out in the middle of the Cup race, losing a right-rear wheel in the process.
NASCAR also indefinitely suspended Shane Gray (father of Martinsville Xfinity winner Taylor Gray), classifying it as a behavioral penalty and citing NASCAR’s Member Code of Conduct.
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