Corey Heim survived a coordinated pit-road ambush at Martinsville Speedway, and NASCAR spent three days deciding how to answer it.
The answer landed this week as NASCAR’s harshest fight-related punishments in years, with a team owner facing an indefinite ban that could keep him off pit road for good.
The trouble started after Heim and Treyten Lapcevich spent Saturday’s final restart dogfighting for second at the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, with Heim edging Lapcevich by 0.072 seconds behind winner Caden Kvapil, according to Short Track Scene. Into Turn 1 after the flag, Heim’s car rode over the hood of Lapcevich’s No. 77 Chevrolet, wrecking both cars.
“He tried to pin me under the curb and just kept turning left,” Heim said of the contact, according to Short Track Scene. “My right front hopped his left front and destroyed a perfectly good race car.”
Lapcevich called the move unnecessary and started toward Heim, according to the Short Track Scene description, before owner Chad Bryant intervened and walked his driver back.
Minutes later, walking toward his hauler, Heim was cut off by Chad Bryant Racing crew members at Martinsville’s hot dog stand and pinned against the building as punches flew.
Denny Hamlin, the 23XI co-owner who signed Heim for 2027, aired his anger on his podcast.
“Those f****** cowards waited on Corey Heim to leave his car and leave his team, and then jump him while he was on the way to his hauler,” Hamlin said, as quoted by Short Track Scene‘s Stephen Durham. “There is absolutely no way any of those guys should be in a pit lane for the next year, at least.”
Heim never threw a punch, Hamlin said.
| NASCAR PENALTY REPORT — MARTINSVILLE FIGHT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Regional Series • September 26, 2026 | ||||
| Driver | Violation | Section(s) | Penalty | |
| Steven Civatarese | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $1,000 fine; indefinite suspension; suspended from 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway; one-year NASCAR probation. | |
| Chad Bryant | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $2,000 fine; indefinite suspension; suspended from 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway; one-year NASCAR probation; required to complete anger management training through a NASCAR-approved program. | |
| Dylan Jenks | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $500 fine; NASCAR probation until December 31, 2027. | |
| Ryden Lapcevich | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $500 fine; NASCAR probation until December 31, 2027. | |
| Brad Housewright | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $250 fine; NASCAR probation until December 31, 2027. | |
| Chase Burrow | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $250 fine; NASCAR probation until December 31, 2027. | |
| Ryan Burrow | Behavioral | 12-6.1C & 12-6.1C2: Members actions; member-to-member confrontation(s) with physical violence | $500 fine; NASCAR probation until December 31, 2027. | |
| All penalties issued 9/26/2026 in connection with a Martinsville Speedway incident, NASCAR Regional Series. | ||||
Corey Heim’s Rise Collides With Old Chad Bryant Racing Ties
The ambush carried extra sting given the history. Heim, 24, made his ARCA debut for Chad Bryant Racing in 2019, years before winning a record 12 Truck races last season for the championship, according to NASCAR.com. NASCAR confirmed in May that Heim will drive 23XI’s No. 35 Toyota full-time starting in 2027.
Lapcevich, the 2023 NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion, was not among those NASCAR disciplined.
NASCAR’s penalty report cited Bryant and crew member Steven Civatarese for physical confrontation, fining Bryant $2,000 and Civatarese $1,000, suspending both indefinitely including next year’s Martinsville race, and ordering Bryant into anger-management training, according to NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass.
NASCAR’s Punishment Depends on Who Throws Punches
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell draws a consistent line. Driver fights get a pass, crew involvement does not. Days earlier, Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar traded punches at Bristol, and NASCAR declined to penalize either, saying it would not “encourage fighting” but would “encourage passion,” as quoted by Racing News.
Martinsville offers the closest precedent. After a 2023 heat race there, NASCAR fined drivers Connor Hall and Magnum Tate $500 apiece, and fined a crew member $1,000 with probation, according to NASCAR.com‘s official penalty report. Bryant’s punishment went further, adding an indefinite ban that crew members avoided.
Five others, including participants in a separate brawl that left driver Brad Housewright bloodied, drew fines of $250 to $500 and probation through 2027.
NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace said the pattern needs to stop.
“You’re going to kill somebody. You’re going to hit them wrong and go to jail,” Wallace said, according to EssentiallySports. “These f****** crew members attack Corey Heim.”
Heim later displayed the dented menu, according to Racing News, a souvenir of another violent Martinsville night.
NASCAR Hands Down Punishments to 7 After Wild Martinsville Fight