Ty Gibbs Hit With $15k Fine For Actions on Pit Road

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - APRIL 07: Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway on April 07, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

NASCAR officials announced Tuesday that they had handed Ty Gibbs a behavioral violation on Tuesday following the Martinsville race where he confronted and struck Sam Mayer. Angry about Mayer moving him out of the way while fighting for the Dash 4 Cash win and second place, Gibbs hit his competitor with his car during the cool-down lap and with his fists after the two drivers got out on pit road. 

Both drivers were summoned to the NASCAR hauler after the altercation for a ten-minute talk. After deliberation, the sport found that Gibbs committed a violation when he bumped Mayer’s car on pit road. With officials and teams out on the small pit road at the time, the safety issue was the problem. The violation was cited under Section 4.3.A&E (NASCAR Member Conduct) and Section 8.8.8 (Crew member/Servicing) of the NASCAR Rule Book. 

That wasn’t the only penalty for the 54 team, either. Crew chief Chris Gayle also received notice of another $5,000 fine, this one for having a loose lug nut after the race. 

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – APRIL 08: Sam Mayer, driver of the #1 Accelerate Pros Talent Chevrolet, and Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, get into an altercation after the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway on April 08, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The weekend penalty report also included a four-race suspension for three members of the Richard Childress Racing 2 team, cited for violating Section 10.5.2.5.F when ballast fell out of the car during a Thursday night practice session. Serving the suspension will be crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz, car chief Kris McCabe and engineer Sam Bowers.

There were no penalties for Cup or Truck Series teams following the Martinsville weekend. 

Owen Johnson