NASCAR Suspends 7 After Martinsville Hot Dog Stand Brawl Involving Corey Heim

Photo via NASCAR.com

NASCAR dropped the hammer after a post-race brawl at Martinsville Speedway broke out next to the track's famous hot dog stand. Seven people were penalized, including a team owner who was suspended indefinitely and fined $2,000.

What Started the Fight

The trouble began during the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 on September 26, one of the biggest Late Model Stock Car races of the year. Corey Heim and Treyten Lapcevich were battling for the runner-up spot behind winner Caden Kvapil when they collided on the cool-down lap in Turn 1 — Heim's No. 22 went airborne over the front of Lapcevich's No. 77, destroying both race cars. Heim did not hold back afterward, saying Lapcevich "pinned me onto the curb for some reason and just kept turning left" and "tried to destroy my car under cool-down laps and succeeded."

The Hot Dog Stand Brawl

After post-race interviews, Heim was walking from pit road toward his hauler when several members of Chad Bryant Racing — Lapcevich's team — confronted him next to the iconic Martinsville hot dog stand in the infield. Punches were thrown at the driver; one punch missed and hit the hot dog menu board. Heim dodged most of the blows and never threw one back. Video of the brawl went viral. Afterward, Heim posted a selfie giving a thumbs-up with the caption: "Solid effort, but at least make it count next time."

Watch a full breakdown of the brawl in the video below:

NASCAR's Punishments

On September 29, NASCAR announced penalties for seven people connected to the race weekend:

• Team owner Chad Bryant: indefinite suspension, $2,000 fine, banned from the 2027 ValleyStar Credit Union 300, one year of probation, and required NASCAR-approved anger management training.
• Crew member Steven Civitarese: indefinite suspension, $1,000 fine, banned from the 2027 race, and one year of probation.
• Ryden Lapcevich (Treyten's brother): $500 fine and probation through December 31, 2027.
• Dylan Jenks and Brad Housewright: $500 fines each and probation through December 31, 2027 — for a separate brawl in the garage area after a heat race.
• Chase Burrow and Ryan Burrow: $250 fines each and probation through December 31, 2027 — for the same separate garage brawl.

Denny Hamlin Demanded Action

Heim's boss — 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, whose team Heim joins full-time in the Cup Series in 2027 — had demanded at least a year-long suspension, calling the attack "complete classlessness" and saying the crew "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." Lapcevich later condemned the incident on X. Heim, the reigning Truck Series champion who won two Cup Series races in part-time action this summer, walked away from the whole mess with a thumbs-up selfie.