NASCAR star Justin Allgaier has opened up on confronting former team-mate Sam Mayer after last Sunday's elimination race at Martinsville.
Mayer has been suspended for this weekend's final race of the season at Phoenix after wrecking Jeb Burton hard into the wall after the chequered flag at Martinsville, appearing unrepentant in subsequent comments to the media.
Allgaier was seen getting into it with the Stewart-Haas Racing driver after the race, with the pair having gotten together some laps earlier in the key playoff race.
The JR Motorsports veteran admitted at NASCAR's championship weekend media day on Thursday that he was upset by Mayer's actions, and that he believes that drivers have to hold each other accountable for things they believe cross the line on track.
This year's Xfinity Series has been marred by a number of avoidable wrecks, not least at the spring race held at Martinsville, which saw Sammy Smith come from way back to wreck out leader Taylor Grey in an overtime finish, opening the door for Austin Hill to sneak through for the win.
Allgaier: Mayer didn't do a great job at Martinsville
Speaking this week, Allgaier admitted: "It started with me, then I had 60 laps to watch everything that transpired. Look, Sam and I have had a good relationship, and I feel like as drivers go away from JR Motorsports, I still feel responsible as they grow into the drivers that they're going to be.
"I want to see them succeed, and I hold the drivers who leave JR Motorsports to probably a higher standard than maybe somebody else that's in the sport, just because I know what the expectations are at our shop, and I know what they're taught.
"I know who they've become and where they're good, and the things that they excel at, and I thought Sam didn't do a great job the other night. He has his own opinion of it, but I feel like I hold him to a little bit higher standard, so yeah, I was upset.
"I was upset because it ruined our night, it put us in a bad spot, and tore a race car up that didn't need to get torn up. I'm disappointed that it culminated in what it did and that he got suspended, I don't want to see that, I don't want any driver to have to go through that. We all owe it to each other to hold each other accountable when guys aren't doing things the right way, and that was my conversation with him."
