(Photo: Ryan Daley | The Podium Finish)
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Brandon Jones won Friday’s Call 811 Before You Dig 250 Powered by Call811.com at Martinsville Speedway, but more attention focused on what happened after the race.
Ty Gibbs, who led 197 laps, led the field on the second green-white-checkered attempt. Jones, his teammate, lined up behind him and dove to the inside. After some contact and a battle for the lead, Jones cleared him on the final lap and won the race.
But, behind him, Gibbs and Sam Mayer made contact in Turn 4 on the last lap while battling for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. Gibbs looked for his first Dash 4 Cash bonus and his fourth win of the season, while Mayer looked for his second consecutive bonus. Instead, AJ Allmendinger won the money while Mayer and Gibbs finished fifth and eighth, respectively.
After the race, Gibbs parked his car behind Mayer’s on pit road. The two shared some words and eventually, a fight broke out. Gibbs landed multiple punches on Mayer before NASCAR officials and crew members ended the altercation.
THE BOYS ARE THROWING DOWN pic.twitter.com/Ht9d574K80
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 9, 2022
“I tried to talk to him, and he got in my face, and that’s when I had to start fighting,” Gibbs told FOX Sports. “It’s frustrating. I just got drove into the fence at the end.”
Gibbs reported to the series hauler postrace, as NASCAR requested a meeting with him earlier in the race after not slowing for the pace car. NASCAR officials talked with Gibbs and Mayer and deemed the matter over. However, NASCAR will wait until next week to announce any penalties.
“100 grand on the line, I just put the bumper to him because that’s what short track racing is all about,” Mayer told reporters after the race. “He got upset, but he’s been doing that to everyone else every week so far. I don’t understand how it can be that one-sided.”
Jones’ victory was his first in 50 races. Landon Cassill finished second, a career-best.
The Xfinity Series is off next week but will return to action on April 23 at Talladega Superspeedway.
