Over the weekend, NASCAR raced at Martinsville Speedway with a lot on the line. The half-mile hosted the final playoff elimination race and set the Championship 4 drivers for this coming weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
View the NASCAR penalty report from Martinsville Speedway below.
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members have been suspended. That penalty stems from Cody Ware losing a wheel during the event. Additionally, NASCAR member Shane Gray has been suspended.
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race saw drama after crossing the finish line. Sam Mayer drove into Jeb Burton sending him into the wall. He was showing frustration after the race was over.
Mayer was upset with how Jeb Burton raced him earlier in the event. He had a lot of colorful words to describe Burton as well.
In the post race interview, Mayer admitted to the retaliation. While that’s great for the fans, this only gave NASCAR more reason to issue a penalty.
Mayer was aware of that as he stated, “I’m probably going to get in trouble for this interview already. Just trying to make up for it.”
Watch the full Sam Mayer interview here
NASCAR has been harsh on similar moves in the past. Earlier this season, Austin Hill was suspended one-race for intentionally crashing Aric Almirola. However, that situation was arguably less of an infraction than this one as it occurred during race conditions.
Earlier today, NASCAR hinted that a penalty was on the way.
“Having those types of incidents after the checkered flag is not something we’re going to tolerate,” Elton Sawyer told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR hints at a penalty for Sam Mayer after crashing post-finish
It was never a question of if Sam Mayer would be penalized or not. However, there was question as to how steep the penalty would be.
In this case, NASCAR has suspended Sam Mayer for one race. He’ll miss the championship race this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
Mayer drives the No. 41 car for the Haas Factory Team. The team will need a reserve driver for this weekend’s event.
NASCAR Championship 4 drivers are set for the finale in Phoenix
“Although we are disappointed with the results, Haas Factory Team will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to Sam Mayer and the No. 41 team following last weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway,” the team opened in a statement.
They added, “We remain focused on finishing the season out strong at Phoenix Raceway and look forward to contending for a race win with Ryan Sieg at the wheel.”
Ryan Sieg will drive the No. 41 car this weekend at Phoenix Raceway as Mayer sits in the penalty box.
View the full NASCAR penalty report below.
Driver/Team: Cody Ware No. 51
Date: 10/26/2025 (race)
Level: Safety
Infraction: (Section 8.8.10.4.A&C) Tires and Wheels Note: Loss or separation of an improperly installed tire/wheel from the vehicle during the event.
Penalty: Crew members (De’Quan Hampton and Marquill Osborne) have been suspended from the next two NASCAR Cup Series Championship points events, through the Clash at Bowman Gray, February 1, 2026.
Driver/Team: Sam Mayer No. 41
Date: 10/25/2025 (post-race)
Level: Behavioral
Infraction: (Section 4.4.B) NASCAR Member Code of Conduct
Penalty: Driver (Sam Mayer) has been suspended from NASCAR for the next points event, through Phoenix Raceway, November 2, 2025.
Sam Mayer crashes Jeb Burton (Video)
Member: Shane Gray
Date: 10/25/2025 (race)
Level: Behavioral
Infraction: (Section 4.4.B) NASCAR Member Code of Conduct
Penalty: Indefinitely suspended from NASCAR.
Sam Mayer | Jeb Burton | Martinsville Speedway | NASCAR
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