Ty Gibbs has been fined $15,000 after making contact with the rear bumper of Sam Mayer‘s Chevrolet once the pair reached pit road after the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Call 811 Before You Dig 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Friday (April 8).
Gibbs, who had led 197 of the 261 laps at the Virginian short track race, was upset with Mayer after a push from the JR Motorsports driver took him out of contention for the win during an overtime restart, dropping Gibbs to eighth. On the cooldown lap, Gibbs bumped the No. 1 car several times.
A brawl-inducing bump. pic.twitter.com/PK6Jt3fOhD
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 9, 2022
On pit road, the No. 54 Toyota hit Mayer’s car one more time while crew members, officials, media and other personnel were walking around the cars and was seen as a safety hazard, inciting the penalty.
The applied fine is for the contact on pit road and not for the ensuing physical altercation that occurred between the two drivers after they had climbed out of their cars.
The No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team’s crew chief, Chris Gayle, was also fined $5,000 for an unsecured lug nut.
In addition, crew members of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing machine, driven by Sheldon Creed, have been suspended for “loss or separation of added ballast from the vehicle.” Crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz, car chief Kris McCabe and engineer Sam Bowers will not be allowed to participate in the next four races.
Creed finished 30th on Friday.
No points deductions were given to either of the Xfinity teams.
Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT