Ty Gibbs, the grandson of Washington legendary coach Joe Gibbs, was not happy with Sam Mayer. The two had contact coming out of Turn 4 during Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Martinsville during the second overtime restart.
Gibbs was pushed into the wall a battle for second. As a result he finished eighth in the race. Mayer finished fifth. The number 19 car Brandon Jones took the checkered flag.
As the two crossed the finish line, Gibbs attempted to spin Mayer’s car. Then as the two pulled in at pit road, Gibbs approached Mayer.
After a heated exchange, while still wearing his helmet, Gibbs threw a combo of punches at Mayer.
“I tried to talk to him and he got in my face. At that point we have to starting fighting, Gibbs said on the FS1 broadcast.
FS1 caught up with Mayer after the race to get his side of the story.
“He got upset and he threw a couple of punches,” Mayer said. “They were weak. I just put the bumper to him a hundred grand and he got upset about it. But he’s been doing that to everyone else every week so far. I don’t understand how it can be that one-sided.”
Mayer was asked about Gibbs keeping his helmet on during the fray.
“It’s kind of funny because he walked up to me… I had my helmet off already and he kept his helmet on. So he was scared about something,” Mayer replied.
Both Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer met for about 10 minutes in the NASCAR hauler, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi. Gibbs and Mayer ultimately shook hands at the conclusion of the meeting. NASCAR officials will review the incident and announce any penalties early next week.
