NASCAR Dishes Out One-Race Suspension to Xfinity Driver Sam Mayer

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Sam Mayer, the driver of the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will not compete in this weekend's NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. On Tuesday evening, NASCAR officially announced a one-race suspension for the driver in its weekly post-race penalty report.

Mayer's suspension stems from an incident, which he crashed into Jeb Burton, the driver of the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet, following the checkered flag in last Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

Haas Factory Team confirmed in a statement following the announcement of Mayer's suspension that it will not appeal the penalties from Martinsville Speedway. In Mayer's place, Ryan Sieg will pilot the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford this weekend.

Sieg, the full-time driver of the No. 39 RSS Racing Ford, a team with a technical alliance with the Haas team, will make his 400th career start this weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

After crossing the finish line to end the race, Mayer, who had ongoing tension with Burton throughout the entirety of the race, made contact with Burton's car heading into Turn 1 on the cooldown lap. The contact sent Burton's No. 27 car spinning, and at the end of the spin, Burton collided hard with the outside wall.

Mayer also collided with the outside wall in the incident.

.@sam_mayer_ was not happy with @JebBurtonRacing after the race. pic.twitter.com/PIrQHCTTY9

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 26, 2025

According to NASCAR, Mayer violated sections 4.4.B of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct, which resulted in his suspension. The Wisconsin native will be eligible to return to action in the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.

Mayer, who finished seventh in last Saturday's race at Martinsville, was eliminated from NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff contention.

While Mayer's suspension was the most notable penalty contained in the weekly NASCAR penalty report, it was hardly the only suspension dished out after the trip to the 0.526-mile paperclip in Virginia.

Two members of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing pit crew in the NASCAR Cup Series. De'Quan Hampton and Marquill Osborne were in violation of sections 8.8.10.4.a&c of the NASCRA Cup Series Rule Book due to a detached wheel on Cody Ware's car following a pit stop in last Sunday's Xfinity 500. As a result, both crew members will be ineligible to compete this weekend at Phoenix, and in the 2026 pre-season exhibition event The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Additionally, NASCAR Xfinity Series crew member Shane Gray has been indefinitely suspended by NASCAR after a violation of sections 4.4.B of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct at Martinsville Speedway.