NASCAR has issued severe disciplinary penalties following a violent post-race altercation at Martinsville Speedway. The sanctions indefinitely suspend team owner Chad Bryant and crew member Steve Civatarese. The penalties stem from an incident on Saturday, Sept. 26, following the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. During this event, rising racing star and 23XI Racing driver Corey Heim was physically attacked near the track’s infield hot dog stand.
The altercation unfolded after a late-race on-track incident between Heim and Treyten Lapcevich. Lapcevich was driving the No. 77 entry for Chad Bryant Racing (CBR). As the cars raced toward the finish, aggressive contact on the cool-down lap sent Heim’s No. 22 Nelson Motorsports Toyota airborne over Lapcevich’s machine. This crash destroyed both vehicles. Tensions boiled over on pit road, culminating in an ambush as Heim walked unescorted toward his team’s hauler.
Severe Penalties and Suspensions Issued
According to the official NASCAR penalty report released on Tuesday, Sept. 29, officials cracked down hard on the participants. They cited violations of Sections 12-6.1C and 12-6.1C2 of the NASCAR Rule Book regarding member-to-member confrontations involving physical violence.
- Chad Bryant: Indefinitely suspended from NASCAR events, barred from the 2027 Martinsville race, fined $2,000, required to complete NASCAR-approved anger management training, and placed on one-year probation.
- Steve Civatarese: Indefinitely suspended from NASCAR events, banned from the 2027 Martinsville race, fined $1,000, and placed on one-year probation.
- Ryden Lapcevich: Fined $500 and placed on probation through December 31, 2027.
Four additional crew members connected to a separate garage-area fight earlier in the day were also penalized. Ryan Burrow and Dylan Jenks each received $500 fines and probation. Brad Housewright and Chase Burrow were each fined $250 and placed on probation.
Garage Leaders Condemn the Attack
Video footage of the confrontation quickly circulated online, drawing intense scrutiny from fans and garage veterans alike. Heim managed to evade most of the punches and did not retaliate. He later leaned into the viral moment on social media. He posted a photo of himself with a thumbs-up and later brought the dented hot dog stand menu sign home. He joked on X, “New office piece. Poor thing took a beating this weekend.”
Prominent figures within the NASCAR community did not mince words regarding the ambush. Denny Hamlin, Cup Series driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing, took to his “Actions Detrimental” podcast to blast the behavior.
“Just complete classlessness from Chad Bryant, the owner, and his team to wait on Corey,” Hamlin said on his podcast. “Those cowards waited on Corey Heim to leave his car and leave his team, and then jump him while he was on the way to his hauler.”
Hall of Fame drivers Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also condemned the actions during their respective media appearances. Earnhardt noted that the confrontation crossed a clear line.
Treyten Lapcevich later released a statement expressing disapproval of his team’s post-race actions. He stated that while tensions were high, physical violence entirely crossed the line.
