NASCAR fines Ty Gibbs, but not for the punches he threw at Martinsville
NASCAR won’t penalize Ty Gibbs for a post-race fight he was involved with at Martinsville with fellow Xfinity Series driver Sam Mayer, nor will Mayer be issued a penalty.
NASCAR on Tuesday issued a $15,000 fine against Gibbs for a behavioral infraction at Martinsville Speedway. The sanctioning body noted in its penalty report that the infraction was for “contact with another vehicle on pit road after the race.”
Gibbs, a 19-year-old driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and the grandson of NASCAR team owner and former NFL coach Joe Gibbs, is the driver of the No. 54 Toyota.
He was engaged in a heated on-track battle with No. 1 Chevrolet driver Mayer at Martinsville late in Friday’s race at the Virginia short track, which resulted in Gibbs being shuffled from the front of the pack and conceding the win to teammate Brandon Jones.
Gibbs bumped Mayer’s car with his own in frustration on the cool-down lap and again while NASCAR personnel and crews waited for cars to stop on pit road after the race. After parking his car, Gibbs approached Mayer with his helmet on and the two had a heated exchange before getting into a fist fight.
The two were tackled to the ground by crew members and officials attempting to intervene. The incident left Mayer with a cut above his eye. One official had to be taken to the care center and was eventually released, with the extent of the official’s injuries unknown.
The drivers were summoned to the Xfinity Series officials’ hauler for a “consultation” after the brawl and separated after a 10-minute conversation, according to NASCAR.com.
NASCAR’s said that Gibbs’ violation fell under a portion of its NASCAR Member Conduct and Crew member/Servicing guidelines in its rulebook.
The sanctioning body has not typically penalized Xfinity drivers for physical altercations in recent years. No penalties were issued in 2020 for a fight between drivers Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton after a race at Texas, nor did it penalize Gragson last year for for an altercation with Daniel Hemric at Atlanta.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 7:34 PM.
