Denny Hamlin addresses whether NASCAR should suspend Sam Mayer for post-race Jeb Burton incident

Denny Hamlin had no issue with the back-and-forth battle between Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton during Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. But when it came to what happened after the checkered flag, when Mayer wrecked Burton into the wall, Hamlin isn’t sure what he was thinking.

Ultimately, NASCAR will have to decide how to discipline Mayer. If Hamlin had to guess, Mayer likely won’t be racing this Saturday at Phoenix Raceway.

“Sam Mayer after the race, I don’t know what he was doing. That was a bad call, and I don’t know if he’s racing this weekend,” Hamlin said on Monday’s Actions Detrimental podcast. “I wish I had a good answer for you. Wrecking someone after the caution into the wall, no, probably not.

“… I didn’t have any issues with the back-and-forth on track until the checkered flag. And then in his interview, it just didn’t help. I’m not gonna pile on because I think he’s gonna have a bad week. It just didn’t help… I think he’s watching Phoenix.”

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

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

Sam Mayer sounded off on Jeb Burton

After the race, Mayer was quick to call out Burton. He pointed to the week prior at Talladega Superspeedway as his original reason for disdain.

“The 27 [Burton] did us no favors last week,” Mayer said. “He caused a demolition derby and a parking lot on the front straightaway at the fastest racetrack we go to, and now he just decides to be an absolute dumbass this go around and race a guy with a purple spoiler just awful. It was awful to be around him all day. He’s just fast enough to be really, really annoying but not fast enough to do anything else worth a damn.

“So, sucks to be in that spot around him. But the car was as fast as Xfinity Mobile. … It just wasn’t meant to be. The good Lord blesses us in mysterious ways, and I think that I learned a lot tonight. Probably going to get in trouble for this interview already but I’m trying to kind of make up for it. But just really proud of everybody and we’re going to go on to Phoenix with one goal in mind and that’s try win the race and make something out of what we have now.”

Jeb Burton fired back at Sam Mayer

Mayer was then asked about his conversation with Jordan Anderson, Burton’s car owner. It was at that point that he admitted what he did.

“I honestly hate it for Jordan,” Mayer said. “Jordan is one of the coolest guys in the garage, he’s worked his tail off to get to this point. Definitely regret wrecking one of his race cars after competition is over. But Jeb needs a wake-up call, that brother, he does not have the it factor, he has the different factor.”

Burton ripped Mayer for his actions during and after the race. Burton felt that he wasn’t raced with respect that he tends to give Mayer. So, it appears that respect is done for now.

“I think Sam was mad that last week he got taken out in an accident at Talladega and he was acting like a child like Sam is,” Burton said, via Noah Lewis of TSJ Sports. “We’re on old tires at the end of Stage 1, I believe. And he shipped me out of the way, I think we all saw that, I was on the front row, for no reason. I’ve always raced Sam really clean, never had a problem with him.

“Then to, I moved him at the end for a spot because I was still pissed off at what he did, because when he moved me, I went back to 20th, and it really almost ruined our day because we got off strategy. So, that was frustrating. So, that’s why I moved him back. I didn’t wreck him, just moved him. At the end of the race after the checkered, he destroyed our car and wrecked us.

“So, hopefully, NASCAR does something because he literally right reared me into the outside wall. So, I don’t know. I hate for my guys to tear up a car, but you know, I race a lot of people out here with respect, and I just want it back. And he ran over me for no reason, so I gave it back to him, and he threw a temper tantrum. So, it is what it is.”

Mayer was racing for spot in the Championship 4. He came up short after finishing seventh at Martinsville. Burton did not care one bit about Mayer’s points situation when he moved him on the track.

“I didn’t care if he needed the point or what. I could give two sh*ts about Sam Mayer,” Burton said. “To be honest, the way he acts, he’s a punk, and I think everybody knows it.”