NASCAR suspended Chad Bryant and crewman Steven Civitarese following a brawl with 23XI Racing’s rookie Corey Heim at Martinsville Speedway.
Heim’s confrontation turns violent
After the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Heim collided with Treyten Lapcevich and then faced off with members of Lapcevich’s Chad Bryant Racing (CBR). Central to the melee, Bryant pushed and punched Heim beside the track’s hot‑dog stand—Heim stayed passive, yet the aggression prompted the sanctioning body.
In the disciplinary package, NASCAR fined Bryant $2,000 and placed him on a one‑year probation, while Civitarese received a $1,000 fine with probation. Both are barred from the 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 and Bryant must complete a NASCAR‑approved anger‑management course before eligibility for reinstatement.
More fleet‑wide consequences
Ryden Lapcevich, Treyten’s brother, earned a $500 fine and a full‑season probation. Separately, a heat‑race skirmish involving Brad Houseright and Chad Burrow left one bruised; each received a $250 fine plus probation through 2027. Crew members Ryan Burrow and Dylan Jenks were fined $500 each, also under probation.
On his podcast, “Actions Detrimental,” Denny Hamlin decried the “f****** cowards” behind the ambush, reflecting frustration over the tactics that isolated a newly victorious Brickyard 400 champion.
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