Who doesn’t like to see a fight after a NASCAR race? The Bristol brawl between Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar was the perfect flashpoint. It was two drivers hashing out their differences off the racetrack. But there is a fine line between two drivers throwing haymakers and an entire crew jumping on an unprotected driver. The latter happened at Martinsville Speedway, with Corey Heim finding himself on the receiving end.
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NASCAR responded with harsh penalties, including suspension of Chad Bryant from the 2027 event. Apart from his suspension, he was handed a $2,000 fine, which, according to Spider from Rubbin is Racing, wasn’t good enough.
“What kind of precedent is that? Let’s do a fundraiser, NASCAR. I’ll pick a couple NASCAR drivers that I’m not fond of; if you’re telling me that it’s only going to cost me $2,000 to get four unprotected punches on them, what are we doing here?” Spider said on Rubbin is Racing Podcast.
Heim was cornered by the Chad Bryant Racing team crew, and even the owner started throwing punches at him after the end of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Heim and Treyten Lapcevich, who was driving Chad Bryant Racing’s No. 77 crashed on the cool-down lap. And in response, Lapcevich’s team jumped the 23XI Racing driver. Heim didn’t retaliate and even backed off from the fight, but the Chad Bryant Racing team crew kept coming at him.
Spider doesn’t mind two drivers beefing at the end of the race. But a driver being singled out and jumped by the crew members was a below-the-belt move. “When I say I want them to fight, I’m here for the disagreements and conversations and sure, there maybe haymakers like we saw from Blaney and Hocevar. Not some random f pit crew guy.”
Steven Civatarese and Ryden Lapcevich, two members of the Bryant crew, were also penalized. Civatarese was levied a $1,000 fine and suspended from the 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 race. Meanwhile, Ryden, younger brother of Treyten Lapcevich, was fined $500 and placed on probation until December 2027.
Heim didn’t formally comment about the fight at Martinsville, but he went on X to post some hilarious comments. “Solid effort, but at least make it count next time 😂,” this was his initial response with a selfie in his car. Although he was jumped by multiple guys, none of the punches landed and this was Heim’s sarcastic reply to that.
Later he posted another photo, this time with his Martinsville grandfather clock that he won in 2023 and the hot dog stand menu. “New office piece. Poor thing took a beating this weekend,” Heim was referring to the missed punches again that landed on the hot dog stand menu. While he saw the funny side to this deal, his team owner, Denny Hamlin, was livid with it, and he was the first to demand suspension from Chad Bryant’s team.
NASCAR had a tough time trying to identify the members involved in the incident. This took them some time to dish out the penalties and suspension. However, they wanted to set a precedent that would deter the crew members from repeating the events that happened at Martinsville.
“We took it seriously. I hope that’s a message to those up and down the NASCAR ranks, whether it is a local racing series event or a NASCAR Cup Series event. When crew members get involved with putting their hands on the drivers, we’re going to react in a fashion that you probably don’t want to dip your toe into those waters,” Mike Forde, NASCAR vice president of racing communications, said on the Hauler Talk podcast.
But Spider was convinced of how things escalated to the point that Heim was in a vulnerable spot. The $2,000 fine may be justified for a local event, but will it deter crews from jumping drivers? That is his big concern. NASCAR has made it clear that they don’t want the crew jumping into a fight or a disagreement that can be sorted out between two drivers. But it hasn’t stopped the crews from getting involved.
Even in the Blaney-Hocevar fight, the No. 77 crew restrained Blaney, and they fell on the ground. The Penske driver came in solo but was swarmed by the crew members of a rival team. Clearly, NASCAR can enforce better rules in place to avoid such situations.