By Jerry Jordan, Editor
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Had the caution not come out in the closing laps of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300 when the No. 45, 48 and 28 cars got into the wall, it’s likely Sam Mayer would have been the one to cause it … and not by anything other than hard driving.
The Round of 8 championship contender, who currently sits 73 points outside of the Top 4, was driving with all he had to get to the front and win at Homestead-Miami Speedway but his tires couldn’t keep up. Following the race, Mayer review photos of his tires and was thankful his Goodyear Eagles held together.
“We had one before that, too,” Mayer told Kickin’ the Tires. “I felt them both and we got really lucky the first time. It was under green but we had to pit anyway for fuel, so we got really lucky there. And the second one, we got really lucky because of the caution but all-in-all I am really just proud to be back in the Top 5.”
The lucky break let Mayer keep his JR Motorsports Chevrolet in one piece but it really didn’t help him overall in the playoffs. Because of where he sits in points, he knows he will be in a must-win scenario next week at Martinsville Speedway if he hopes to move into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.
“Yeah, it’s all but that,” Mayer said. “I think there gotta be tough days for three other people, so I am just going to rely on myself and go make it happen.”
With Martinsville Speedway one of the most unpredictable races on the schedule, the racing action can go from calm to chaos in seconds. During the spring Xfinity Series, that’s exactly what happened and with multiple playoff drivers all vying for four spots in the championship race, the odds of chaos are pretty strong.
Although Mayer hasn’t picked up any wins in his Xfinity Series career, he has 11 Top 5s in 2022 and 18 Top 10s. He was runner-up a few weeks ago at Talladega Superspeedway and has been third three times this year.
“Yeah, I was part of the chaos in the spring, I know all about that but I don’t really feel any pressure because I know I am going to be prepared for it,” Mayer said. “Just gonna go let her eat there because we have nothing to lose.”
