Everyone knows that Sam Mayer doesn’t back down from a fight, especially at Martinsville. Remember the 2022 Xfinity race in Martinsville? On the final lap, Mayer made contact with Ty Gibbs, sending him off the track into the wall, ruining his shot at victory. That frustration carried over after the checkout when Gibbs followed Mayer down pit road, which blew up into a physical fight, with punches thrown; the official stepped in to separate the two.

Fast forward to this year, and things have simmered down, or so we thought. Sam Mayer was very fiercely fighting for a spot in the Championship 4. The 22-year-old’s playoff hopes took a big hit at Talladega, forcing him 22 points below the cutline. And even though the No. 41 driver aimed for a strong finish at Martinsville, Lady Luck had other plans. One incident completely derailed his day, and with his rival threatening him to a fight, Mayer responded with great aggression.

Sam Mayer was ready to take on Jordan Anderson’s driver

Speaking post-race, Mayer was extremely upset. He said, “He’s raced everybody in the playoffs. He’s the worst person to race around in the entire garage.” When asked if he’s worried about further retaliation, the Haas Factory Team driver said, “Awesome. That sounds great to me. Dude, let’s have some fun. But that brother does not have the it factor. He has the sh-t factor.” With his Championship 4 hopes dashed, all Mayer could see was red.

Tensions were at a boiling point at Martinsville when Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton’s on-track feud erupted after the checkered flag, leaving the No. 27 car in ruins.  The bad blood between the two drivers began early when the 22-year-old  moved Burton on a restart, sparking a race-long grudge match. And Burton didn’t let that go. Fuming over the radio, Burton said, ” Go ahead and tell the 41 [Mayer] that he’s done. He’s done when I get to him. F—- him and his championship.”

On the final lap, Burton retaliated and spun Mayer while battling for sixth. Moments later, Mayer seemingly returned the favor, right-rear hooking Burton in Turn 1 after the finish, a move that could earn him penalties once NASCAR reviews the footage. The clash drew in Jordan Anderson, Burton’s team owner, who marched down the road to confront Mayer, though the young driver appeared largely unfazed.

Mayer later regretted wrecking one of Anderson’s cars, but he didn’t hold back on his opinion of Burton. He said, “I honestly hate it for Jordan. Jordan is one of the coolest guys in the garage, he’s worked his tail off to get to this point. Definitely regret wrecking one of his racecars after competition is over. But Jeb needs a wake-up call, that brother, he does not have the it factor, he has the different factor.”

However, the 22-year-old isn’t alone in the elimination. Standing with him are Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, and Brandon Jones. Brandon Jones got knocked out despite his teammate winning, with Carson Kvapil taking the final playoff spot by 4 points. Sammy  Smith made a late charge to put himself in the mix, but ultimately settled for second place at Martinsville.

Despite being within reach of a Championship 4 berth, a less-than-ideal restart sealed his fate, leaving him fifth in points and out of title contention. Following Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed, in fourth, also missed the cut, joining Sam on the list of drivers eliminated from the playoffs. But as for Burton, he doesn’t care for the championship, and he isn’t letting this one slide.

Jeb Burton calls for a penalty against Mayer

As things stand, Sam Mayer could be staring down a fine or even a suspension, with right rear hooks being one of NASCAR’s most strictly off-limits moves, and for a good reason. Just ask Austin Hill, who recently received backlash for flipping a fan off after winning Talladega, all about it. His right-rear hook move on Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Speedway landed him a race suspension and terminated his playoff points.

Fast forward to today, and the move has reappeared. When asked if Jeb Burton was aware of Mayer’s playoff situation before moving him on track, Burton didn’t hold back, giving what might be one of the most brutal post-race sound bites of the season. Amid calling Mayer’s antics childish, Burton added, “I didn’t care if he needed the point or what. I could give two s—- about Sam Mayer. To be honest, the way he acts, he’s a punk, and I think everybody knows it.”

But given the light of the situation and the incident, Burton wants NASCAR to take action. He said, “So, hopefully, NASCAR does something because he literally rear-ended me into the outside wall. So, I don’t know. I hate for my guys to tear up a car, but you know, I race a lot of people out here with respect, and I just want it back. And he ran over me for no reason, so I gave it back to him, and he threw a temper tantrum. So, it is what it is.”

And now it can be said with enough certainty that Burton and his crew are waiting for NASCAR to drop the hammer on Mayer’s move, but for now, he remains safe.