NASCAR drops the hammer after attack on Corey Heim as Denny Hamlin demands action

NASCAR penalizes 7 after Martinsville fights

NASCAR issued penalties to 7 team members after 2 separate fights during the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on Sept. 26, 2026. Officials spent nearly 2 days reviewing video and identifying people involved before announcing the penalties on Sept. 29.

The most serious penalties were imposed following an incident involving Corey Heim after the main event. Team owner Chad Bryant and team member Steven Civatarese received indefinite suspensions, while other participants received fines and probation.

Bryant receives the largest fine

Chad Bryant received a $2,000 fine, an indefinite NASCAR suspension, and a requirement to attend anger management through a NASCAR-approved program. Bryant was also placed on probation for 1 year following the Martinsville incident.

NASCAR also barred Bryant from the 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville. Bryant owns the team that fielded Treyten Lapcevich in the race, where the post-race confrontation involving Heim occurred.

Civatarese also suspended indefinitely

Steven Civatarese received a $1,000 fine and an indefinite suspension for his role in the incident involving Corey Heim. NASCAR also barred Civatarese from the 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway following the confrontation.

Civatarese was among the Chad Bryant Racing team members penalized after the main event. NASCAR issued the sanctions after reviewing video from multiple altercations and finalizing the identities of the people involved on Monday night.

Lapcevich receives a fine and probation

Ryden Lapcevich received a $500 fine and probation through 2027 following the incident involving Corey Heim. NASCAR listed him among 3 Chad Bryant Racing team members penalized after the main event.

The other 2 were Chad Bryant and Steven Civatarese, who received indefinite suspensions and larger fines. Across the Martinsville event, NASCAR punished 7 team members for 2 separate fights that took place during the Saturday race program.

Other participants also face penalties

Other participants in Martinsville altercations received fines and probation after NASCAR reviewed 2 separate fights from Saturday. The first incident occurred after a heat race and led to penalties for 4 competitors in the NASCAR Regional series.

Five additional participants received fines ranging from $250 to $500. The penalized participants also received probation, while Bryant and Civatarese faced indefinite suspensions and bans from the 2027 Martinsville event.

Heim finished second before contact

Corey Heim finished second in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 after racing Treyten Lapcevich for the runner-up position late in the event. Contact between the 2 drivers on the final lap helped Caden Kvapil secure the win, with Heim finishing second and Lapcevich third.

After the checkered flag, Heim and Lapcevich made additional contact, and both cars sustained major damage. NASCAR reviewed that post-race collision and chose not to penalize either driver, focusing instead on the later fight involving crew members.

NASCAR reviewed video for nearly 2 days

NASCAR spent nearly 2 days reviewing video from the Martinsville event before issuing penalties on Tuesday. Nearly 90 drivers were entered, and at least a few hundred team members were present at the event.

NASCAR vice president of racing communications Mike Forde said officials finalized the identities of the perpetrators Monday night. Forde said Martinsville Speedway lacked facial recognition software, so identifying a couple of people involved in the heat race took additional time.

NASCAR explains its disciplinary line

NASCAR considers crew members putting their hands on drivers unacceptable, Mike Forde said while discussing the Martinsville penalties. He said the sanctioning body would respond when crew members become physically involved with drivers at NASCAR events.

Forde said NASCAR took the incident seriously and wanted the penalties to send a message throughout its racing ranks. He said the same standard applies from local racing series events through the NASCAR Cup Series.

Hamlin demanded action from NASCAR

Denny Hamlin called for NASCAR to penalize the Chad Bryant Racing members involved in the confrontation with Corey Heim. On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said those involved should be kept out of the pit lane for at least the next year.

Hamlin also said he wanted NASCAR to announce publicly what action it would take. NASCAR later suspended Bryant and Civatarese indefinitely and issued additional fines and probation to other participants.

Hamlin criticizes Martinsville control

Denny Hamlin said NASCAR needed to get control of the Martinsville event after the confrontation involving Corey Heim. Hamlin called for clear consequences when post-race frustration turns into physical confrontations.

Hamlin suggested that fighting could result in long absences from Martinsville or other short-track races. He also said he had no respect for the people involved in the incident with Heim after the driver had separated from his team.

Heim is tied to Hamlin’s 23XI team

Corey Heim is a 23XI Racing development driver competing part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026. He is scheduled to join the team full-time in 2027, and Denny Hamlin owns 23XI Racing alongside Michael Jordan.

Heim has 2 Cup Series wins in 2026, at Naval Base Coronado and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hamlin said that members of Chad Bryant Racing waited until Heim had left his car and separated from his team before confronting him.

Treyten Lapcevich condemns the incident

Treyten Lapcevich said the post-race incident involving Corey Heim was wrong and should not have happened. Lapcevich said he was not involved in the confrontation and did not condone the actions that followed.

Lapcevich acknowledged that he was frustrated after Saturday night’s race and had planned to speak with Heim. He said race-related frustration never justified physical contact with another competitor and added that the actions did not reflect who he is as a person or as a competitor.

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NASCAR focused penalties on crew conduct

NASCAR reviewed the post-race collision between Corey Heim and Treyten Lapcevich but chose not to penalize either driver for that contact. Mike Forde said officials instead focused their disciplinary response on the fight and crew members becoming physically involved with a driver.

NASCAR penalized 7 team members in connection with 2 fights at the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Bryant and Civatarese received indefinite suspensions, while the other participants received fines and probation following the Martinsville incidents.

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NASCAR’s penalties at Martinsville put crew conduct and post-race discipline in focus. Follow NASCAR updates as Bryant and Civatarese remain indefinitely suspended.

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.