Corey Heim arrived in Martinsville hoping to leave with a Grandfather Clock. Instead, he went home with a dented menu card and a viral story for the ages, thanks to what members of Chad Bryant Racing did — or tried to do to him — to him post-race.
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Heim was cornered near the iconic track’s hot dog stand by members of Treyten Lapcevich’s team, with the owner and several others looking to physically assault him. He took the whole thing in good humor, but the NASCAR community, particularly his 23XI Racing boss Denny Hamlin, was livid. Hamlin called for the highest possible suspension for those involved, and the sanctioning body has now responded.
On Tuesday, 29th September, NASCAR announced on X that it had penalized seven people involved across two separate incidents during the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 race weekend.
The most severe punishment went owner Chad Bryant’s way. He has been hit with a $2,000 fine, an indefinite suspension from NASCAR, a ban from attending the Late Model Stock Car race at Martinsville next year, one year of probation, and a requirement to complete anger management training.
Steven Civitarese, the crew member who tried to throw multiple punches at Heim, has also been indefinitely suspended and placed on one-year probation. He will also have to pay a $1,000 fine.
Meanwhile, Treyten’s brother, Ryden, has been placed on NASCAR probation through December 31, 2027, along with a $500 fine. These were the three people directly involved in the attempted assault on Heim.
The other names in NASCAR’s report are Dylan Jenks, Brad Housewright, Chase Burrow, and Ryan Burrow, all of whom were punished for their involvement in a separate brawl in the garage area that day. Jenks and Housewright were fined $500 each, while Chase and Ryan Burrow were fined $250 each. All four were also placed on probation through December 31, 2027.
Amid all this, the driver who was directly involved in the on-track incident with Heim was stopped from confronting him by his own crew members, who later went after Heim themselves. And Hamlin, on his Actions Detrimental, lashed out at Chad Bryant Racing a day before NASCAR issued the penalties.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had said, “Complete classlessness from Chad Bryant, the owner, and his team. Those f***** cowards waited on Corey Heim to leave his car and leave his team and then jump him when he was on his way to his hauler.
“I don’t know who is in charge of NASCAR Regional, but there is absolutely no way that any of those guys should be in a pit lane for the next year at least,” he added.
Safe to say, Hamlin will be content with NASCAR’s decision. The timing of the announcement may make it seem like he had some influence over the penalties, but NASCAR had its own grounds for action. The sanctions were based on behavioral misconduct under Sections 12-6.1C and 12-6.1C2 of the NASCAR Rule Book, which cover “member-to-member confrontation(s) involving physical violence.”
Crew members getting involved in a fight between drivers is a major no-no. The racing community has little tolerance for it, and Hamlin knows from experience how frustrating it can be.
At the very same track back in 2019, Hamlin and Joey Logano had a tense exchange following a mid-race battle in which Hamlin spun the Team Penske driver. Post-race, Hamlin was arguing with Logano’s then-crew chief, Todd Gordon, when his tire specialist, Dave Nichols Jr., came from behind, put him in a headlock, and slammed him to the ground.
Nichols was suspended for one race. But at least in that encounter, the Penske crew members did not ambush Hamlin out of nowhere while he was alone.
There was genuine reason for Chad Bryant Racing to be upset with Heim. Even Treyten said so after the race. He wanted to go and talk to Heim about what happened, but not once did he give his team the green light to go over and assault him.
What Treyten Lapcevich had to say about the incident with Corey Heim
During the final laps, Heim and Lapcevich were locked in an aggressive, paint-trading battle for second place behind Caden Kvapil. Both drivers were unhappy with each other, and things escalated on the cool-down lap.
After Lapcevich intentionally drove into the right side of Heim’s car, the 23XI Racing driver responded by turning back into Lapcevich. The nose of Heim’s car went over the front left of Lapcevich’s No. 77, triggering a heavy Turn 1 wreck that severely damaged both cars.
Lapcevich was frustrated, and had his team allowed him to confront Heim, there may have been a brawl similar to the one between Cup Series drivers Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney at Bristol earlier this month. But he didn’t, and when he realized what his team had done, he was not happy and distanced himself from it.
“Emotions can run high after a race, and I was certainly frustrated and upset following Saturday night. I planned on having a conversation with Corey following the race; however, there is a clear line between being angry about what happens on the racetrack and allowing that frustration to become physical,” the No. 77 driver said in an X statement.
“What happened with Corey after the race was wrong, and it should not have happened,” he further stated.
Heim’s reaction to the incident, however, could not have been more different from Lapcevich’s or Hamlin’s. He saw the funny side of it and decided to showcase his snarky side on social media.
First, he posted a selfie, taking a swipe at the crew members for failing to land a single proper punch. “Solid effort, but at least make it count next time,” his caption read.
A day later, he posted a picture of the menu board at the hot dog stand where he was cornered.
“New office piece,” he wrote. “Poor thing took a beating this weekend.”
As the suspensions begin, it will be interesting to see how Chad Bryant Racing operates through the end of 2027, especially with its owner facing an indefinite suspension.