WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.: When Sam Mayer didn’t have the finish he was hoping for in Friday evening’s Clean Harbor 100 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in the ARCA Menards Series, the upcoming phenom took an unorthodox approach to reset himself and prepare for 376 miles of racing Saturday afternoon in the Finger Lakes of New York.
Before he went to bed on Friday night, Mayer who has a fixation for Christmas music turned to YouTube and listened to three versions of the Holiday hit “Holly Jolly Christmas” – with the classic Burl Ives rendition leading the opening act.
Stepping out of the stressful driver zone for a moment and embracing a circle that makes him grounded and happy ultimately proved to be the best medicine to his success in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series races that awaited him Saturday afternoon.
Starting shotgun on the Truck Series field in 40th – Mayer methodically maneuvered his No. 32 Camping World Chevrolet Silverado forward and quickly.
Avoiding the chaos that ensued in the final race of the regular season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Mayer would utilize strategy delivered by crew chief Shane Huffman and his knack for road course racing to not only keep his Bret Holmes Racing Chevrolet Silverado clean – but in the hunt for a top-10 finish.
Edging closer to the top-10 at the end of Stage 2, Mayer muscled his blue and white Chevrolet into the top-10 during the early laps of Stage 3 and kept his truck in the hunt for his third top-10 for the Mooresville, N.C.-based team.
Lightning halted the race 11 laps from its scheduled distance and forced the rookie Truck Series team to settle for ninth at the checkered flag.
The effort was Mayer’s third top-10 for the organization in 2021 – on the heels of a ninth-place finish at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April and a season-high sixth at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in May.
“We have so much speed in our Bret Holmes Racing truck,” Mayer told CATCHFENCE.com. “I had a ton of fun too because starting at the back was a challenge, but we moved up to the front very quickly.
“Had some interior problems which hurt me as a driver, but the truck itself was really fast and our No. 32 Camping World Chevrolet was really, and I can’t thank them enough for all of the work they put in for this weekend with not only the ARCA car but the Truck race too.”
Mayer is scheduled to return to the No. 23 ARCA car at Michigan International Speedway in two weeks before tackling his fifth race of the season in the truck at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September – where the Franklin, Wisc. native is the defending champion in Truck Series Playoff upset in 2020.
A little more than an hour after the Truck Series race concluded, Mayer had to switch gears and prepare for his fifth career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at JR Motorsports aboard the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
Starting 23rd – Mayer had to once again cautiously race his way forward while trying to keep the fenders intact on his Taylor Moyer-led car.
Taking 10th at the end of Stage 1, Mayer once again was showcasing he had a competitive car.
Despite restarting 17th at the beginning of Stage 2, Mayer used his craft to charge through the field, quickly rejoining the top-10 and with varying pit strategies once again in play – positioned himself inside the top-five before taking the green and white checkered flag in seventh to conclude Stage 2.
With more than 40 laps to get the job done in Stage 3, execution proved to be critical. Staying out between the two stages put Mayer fourth on the grid for the restart – but a miscue during his routine pit stop put Mayer to the back of the field.
Restarting 36th with 25 laps to go, Mayer hauled his JR Motorsports Chevrolet back inside the top-20 with less than 20 laps to go.
With 10 laps to go, Mayer had hustled back inside the top-15 but when the caution waved with seven laps remaining, it opened the door for the 2020 ARCA Menards Series East champion to take advantage of the field being packed back together.
Taking the green flag in 15th with four laps to go, Mayer was able to climb five spots over the final 44 turns of the race to earn a 10th place finish – his second top-10 finish in five Xfinity races for JR Motorsports.
Last month, the 18-year-old earned a career-best ninth at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
While Mayer had hoped for more laps at the Xfinity finish, he was still content with his run.
“We had a super-fast JRM Xfinity car,” Mayer added. “Again, it was so much driving this thing around the Glen because the track really suits me as a driver.
“When I have a good car like I had today, it definitely makes it a lot easier on me. We had some more unfortunate luck with the pit road penalty, but we were still able to rally back to a top-10 which is really impressive considering we restarted almost last with about 25 laps to go.
“I am super pumped up for what we have going on. Momentum is really good and I’m definitely looking forward to going back to another road course next weekend in Indianapolis.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
