VIDEO: Ty Gibbs Brawls with Sam Mayer After NASCAR Collision

Tempers and fists flared during Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia when drivers Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer got into a pit row brawl following a collision that knocked both drivers out of the running for a $100,000 bonus.

Gibbs, the grandson of Washington Redskins legendary coach Joe Gibbs, confronted Mayer in a race that was ultimately won by fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones. Gibbs and Jones had been first and second in the race, and Jones had gotten inside Gibbs a few times before Mayer bumped him.

According to USA Today, Mayer ran Gibbs into the wall in the final lap:

On the final lap of the race, Gibbs lost the lead after Sam Mayer ran into Gibbs from behind to move him up the race track. He actually drove him into the wall.

Not only did Gibbs lose the lead from Mayer’s bump, he fell into 8th place overall after leading for most of the race.

NASCAR drivers use bumping as a tactic to move other racers out of position. The practice is common at Martinsville, and there were 17 yellow flags during the race Friday, USA Today reported.

After both cars pulled into pit row, video shows the altercation begin as Gibbs approaches Mayer to have words:

THE BOYS ARE THROWING DOWN pic.twitter.com/Ht9d574K80

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 9, 2022

NASCAR posted an alternate view of the fight here.

Gibbs gave his side, explaining that he tried to walk away from the confrontation, but Mayer approached him and pulled him back into the altercation, which led the 19-year-old to throw punches. “I talked to Sam [Mayer]…I was frustrated…we kind of shoved a little and I turned away, and when I got grabbed and kinda pulled it led up to that moment…I snapped.”

#NASCAR … Ty Gibbs details why he punched Sam Mayer on pit road after the ⁦@NASCAR_Xfinity⁩ race at ⁦@MartinsvilleSwy⁩ pic.twitter.com/9vSrGxCVDx

— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) April 9, 2022

Mayer, 18, was left with a shiner on his left eye, and other marks on his face which were noticeable during a post-race interview. Mayer gave his side of the story, including how he took his helmet off as Gibbs approached him, but Gibbs never took off his helmet at any point as he gave the beatdown to Mayer.

Sam Mayer gives his side of the story about the tangle with Ty Gibbs: pic.twitter.com/61YVXcf1wW

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 9, 2022

“He threw a couple punches, they were weak, so I can’t say much about that, It’s kind of funny,” Mayer said of Gibbs:

I just put the bumper to him for a hundred grand and he got upset about it. But he’s been doing that to everyone else every week so far so I don’t understand how it could be that one time…It’s kinda funny because he walked up to me. I had my helmet off already and he kept his helmet on. So obviously he was scared about something.

As to Mayer’s claims of Gibbs bumping other drivers, ESPN reported that “Gibbs acknowledged, a week ago at Richmond Raceway, it was he who had to apologize to teammate John Hunter Nemechek for nudging him on the final lap to claim the victory, his series-best third through seven races.”

“Hopefully I’ll learn from it…I know I made some other mistakes,” Gibbs acknowledged during his post-brawl interview.

Driver A.J. Allmendinger, who ultimately won the $100,000, was not amused by the brawl. “I didn’t see the actual wreck. But, I saw on pit road, the stupidity,” Allmendinger told reporters.

On a positive note, NASCAR’s Wayne Auton told the Athletic that “Gibbs and Mayer shook hands on their accord before leaving the [NASCAR] hauler later that evening,” and that NASCAR will review the incident to see if any penalties are in order.