Sam Mayer, the 22-year-old driver of the No. 41 Audibel Ford for the Haas Factory Team, is facing possible penalties from NASCAR after an intentional post-race incident at Martinsville Speedway on October 25, 2025.
During the IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250, Mayer battled hard with Jeb Burton and eventually came to finish seventh. The latter got sixth. However, the checkered flag did not solve the issue between these two.
Shortly after the race, Mayer rammed the rear end of Burton’s No. 27 Chevrolet in Turn 1, causing a spin that hit the outside wall violently. NASCAR officials arrived at the scene quite promptly and were very displeased with the incident. They also warned that the disciplinary measures may be released as early as October 28.
Bad Blood Between Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton
At the start of the race, during a Stage 1 restart, Mayer had a heated battle with Burton and aggressively pushed him up the track, thus setting a tense tone. As the laps were running out, Burton bumped Mayer to grab sixth place, and Mayer clearly saw it as a payback move.
The two weren’t only fighting at Martinsville, actually, their feud goes back to a pileup at Talladega earlier this season, where Mayer blamed Burton for making him lose his playoff berth. The grudge has only increased since then, particularly by Mayer, who is known for his outbursts of rage when things don’t turn out his way.
This is not the first time that Mayer’s emotions have made the headlines at Martinsville. In 2022, after a similar bump-and-run, he and Ty Gibbs got into a heated confrontation on pit road. Burton, who drives for Jordan Anderson Racing, after Saturday’s race, didn’t mince his words and called Mayer a “punk”.
NASCAR’s Stance and Possible Penalties
NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer addressed the situation on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on October 28, making it clear that post-race retaliation won’t be tolerated. “Having that type of incident after the checkered flag, it’s just not something we’re going to tolerate,” Sawyer said. “We’ll get with our team today, discuss it, and see what the next steps are.”
Sawyer went on to explain how NASCAR handles such reviews internally. “I’ll let our series director (in the Xfinity Series), Eric Peterson, run point,” he said. “He’ll talk to both drivers, in this case, Jeb and Sam, and get their side of the story. We’ll go back and look at all the replays. We’ll look at the race as an entirety to see what unfolded early on, and then we take all of that, sit down, and look at prior similar situations, and we’ll make a decision on how we move forward.”
He added that NASCAR considers post-race retaliation especially serious. “When we start using vehicles to run into each other, that rises to a different level, and we’ll respond accordingly.”
Insider Jordan Bianchi suggested that a one-week suspension is likely, citing the deliberate nature of Mayer’s move.
Others believe a fine or points deduction could be more appropriate, similar to the $5,000 fine Burton received earlier this year for a Martinsville incident.
NASCAR has consistently punished intentional post-race wrecks harshly, seeing them as “weaponizing” cars. Officials have stressed that no matter the emotions involved, retaliation after the race poses unnecessary safety risks to drivers and crew members alike.
A Heated Season
This latest drama adds to what’s already been one of the most emotional Xfinity Series seasons in years. Rivalries have flared, tempers have boiled over, and the intensity has pushed NASCAR to enforce stricter behavioral standards.
For Mayer, a former ARCA East champion and one of the sport’s brightest young stars, the consequences could be costly. A suspension or fine might not just dent his points but also his growing reputation.
NASCAR’s next move will say a lot about where the sport stands, whether it continues to encourage fiery competition or takes a firmer stance on professionalism in the heat of battle. For now, all eyes are on what happens before the Phoenix finale.
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