After the checkered flag flew to conclude Saturday night's NASCAR Xfinity Series round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway, Haas Factory Team's Sam Mayer spun Jordan Anderson Racing's Jeb Burton into the outside wall as retaliation for earlier contact.
Mayer, who entered the 253-lap race around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) "Paperclip" oval in Ridgeway, Virginia sitting 22 points below the Championship 4 cut line, was eliminated from championship contention with a seventh place finish, one spot behind Burton.
Mayer finished the round of 8 eight points behind JR Motorsports' Carson Kvapil for the fourth and final Championship 4 spot. But now he won't even be able to compete in the Championship 4 race as a non-championship eligible driver.
NASCAR suspends Sam Mayer for Jeb Burton retaliation
Mayer was found to be in violation of Section 4.4.B of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct after retaliating against Burton, and he has been suspended for the season finale at Phoenix Raceway this weekend as a result. Haas Factory Team will not appeal the suspension.
It marks the second time NASCAR has suspended a full-time Xfinity Series driver in the second half of the 2025 season. Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill was suspended from the early August race at Iowa Speedway after hooking Joe Gibbs Racing's Aric Almirola in the right rear at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the prior week.
The domino effect of that suspension ultimately cost Hill a spot in the Championship 4.
Ryan Sieg is set to replace Mayer behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford in Saturday's season finale. Kyle Sieg is set to move from the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford to the No. 39 RSS Racing Ford to replace Ryan, and a driver for the No. 28 Ford has not yet been confirmed.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race is set to be shown live on the CW Network from Phoenix Raceway beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, November 1. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!