The Sam Mayer Jeb Burton feud reached a boiling point after Saturday night’s Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway, where both drivers traded heavy contact on and off the track, escalating a rivalry that began a week earlier at Talladega Superspeedway. As the Haas Factory Team’s Mayer missed out on a Championship 4 spot, the intense scrutiny turned toward his ongoing conflict with Burton rather than his race result.
Origins of a Heated Rivalry
Tensions between Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton can be traced back to the previous weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Mayer’s playoff hopes took a major hit after a pileup caused by Brandon Jones and initiated by the No. 27 car, driven by Burton, left Mayer with a 38th-place finish and a deep points deficit, sitting 22 below the cut line entering Martinsville. Mayer lost the championship bid by just eight points, a margin close enough that a clean Talladega may have seen him advancing.
Reflecting Mayer’s frustration, he said,
He caused a 20-car pileup at Talladega, which put us in the spot we were in going into today [Saturday], so it was his fault to begin with,
—Sam Mayer, Driver. He added,
Him left-hooking the 20 car [Jones] in the middle of the trioval of Talladega is just an absolutely silly thing to have happen.
—Sam Mayer, Driver.
First Clash Surfaces at Martinsville
Saturday’s altercations were foreshadowed early in the race as Burton, remaining on track while others pitted, restarted at the front midway through Stage 1, with Mayer right behind him. The contact was immediate, as Mayer sent Burton out of position in the first corner, costing Burton multiple spots and escalating animosity between the two drivers.
Burton vented afterward, saying,
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,
—Jeb Burton, Driver. He continued,
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.
—Jeb Burton, Driver.
The repercussions were immediate, with Burton spinning on his team radio,
Tell the 41 [Mayer] that he’s done when I get to him,
—Jeb Burton, Driver. He followed with,
F–k him his championship bullshit. He’s done.
—Jeb Burton, Driver.
Hostility Intensifies in Final Restarts
As the race progressed, the pair found themselves locked in close quarters through multiple late-race restarts. Each driver leveraged aggressive tactics, brushing fenders and pushing boundaries. When the final overtime restart arrived, it was Burton who retaliated, bumping Mayer out of his way to secure a higher finish.
Mayer commented on the exchange, stating,
He just can’t take no for an answer, and a guy with a purple spoiler raced him for something huge, moved him out of the way and went on and was faster than him in the end,
—Sam Mayer, Driver. He also shared,
Thank God I have enough car control to where I can hold onto it and not wreck. He has no respect for someone racing for something bigger than what he is, and I mean, what is he? He’s like 35th in points, and I don’t know what he’s trying to do.
—Sam Mayer, Driver.
Burton, for his part, insisted,
I didn’t wreck Mayer, just moved him.
—Jeb Burton, Driver. He also explained,
I moved him at at the end for a spot because I was still pissed off at what he did,
—Jeb Burton, Driver. Continuing the theme, he said,
Because when he moved me, I went back to 20th and it really almost ruined our day because we got off strategy. That was frustrating, so that’s why I moved him back.
—Jeb Burton, Driver.
Aftermath Escalates to Postrace Retaliation
The confrontation did not end with the checkered flag. During the cool-down lap, Mayer’s frustration reached its peak when he chased down Burton and spun the No. 27 car hard into the outside wall. The severity of the collision was evident as Mayer’s car also suffered substantial contact, signaling just how forceful the response was.
Burton criticized Mayer’s actions after the race, stating,
At the end of the race, after the checkered, he destroyed our car and wrecked us,
—Jeb Burton, Driver. He added,
Hopefully, NASCAR does something, because I mean he literally right-reared me into the outside wall. I hate it for my guys to tear up a car.
—Jeb Burton, Driver.
Mayer defended himself by focusing on principles, saying,
He’s raced everybody in the playoffs like — he’s the worst person to race around in the entire garage, and he has a reputation of being over his head every single week, and this was a prime example of it,
—Sam Mayer, Driver.
With speculation swirling about possible penalties, Mayer offered his viewpoint regarding NASCAR’s potential involvement: he considered the incident a “self-policing thing” rather than something for officials to address.
Team Owners and Further Reactions
Jordan Anderson, who owns Burton’s car, took issue with Mayer’s retaliation after the race. While Anderson did not fault the aggressive racing during the event itself, he voiced disappointment over Mayer’s postrace actions, expressing hope for a review from NASCAR.
I just hope NASCAR looks at it,
—Jordan Anderson, Team Owner.
For his part, when reflecting on his interaction with Anderson, Mayer gave a rare glimpse of regret:
In all honesty, I feel so bad for Jordan [Anderson],
—Sam Mayer, Driver. He elaborated,
I regret my move after the race. Jordan’s an awesome guy. He’s worked his tail off to get to where he is. … I hate that I destroyed one of his racecars tonight, but his driver destroyed 20 last week.
—Sam Mayer, Driver.
What’s Next for Mayer and Burton?
The unresolved hostilities between Sam Mayer and Jeb Burton have amplified the drama heading into the upcoming races, with questions swirling about whether NASCAR will step in with penalties following the Martinsville incident. Both drivers appear entrenched in their positions, with Mayer’s playoff hopes dashed but his willingness to engage undiminished, while Burton shows no sign of backing down.
This headline rivalry has overshadowed other playoff developments, including Taylor Gray’s first Xfinity victory and Carson Kvapil’s determined drive into the Championship 4, highlighting the volatility and emotion that define this stage of the NASCAR season. With the feud now firmly in public view and key figures like Jordan Anderson and the NASCAR community watching closely, the aftermath of the Sam Mayer Jeb Burton feud will remain a central storyline as attention turns toward Phoenix Raceway and the resolution of the championship chase.
“Tell the 41 that he’s done when I get to him. F*ck him and his championship bullshit. He’s done. Done!”
– @JebBurtonRacing as the caution comes out. #NASCAR
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) October 26, 2025
Gonna expect some type of penalty from this.
What do you think NASCAR will do?
— Taylor Kitchen (@_TaylorKitchen_) October 26, 2025
