AVONDALE, Ariz. – Sam Mayer put up a great fight in his quest to become a NASCAR Xfinity Series champion at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, but the JR Motorsports driver came up short in Saturday afternoon’s Xfinity Series Championship Race.
A subpar 16th-place qualifying effort left many wondering if Mayer would be able to overcome the track position and contend for the championship. Much like he has done in the second half of the Xfinity Series season, Mayer impressed.
Throughout Stage 1 and Stage 2, Mayer’s car continued to improve and put him in position to contend in Stage 3.
And contend he did.
While he did not challenge for control of the race, the Wisconsin native did maintain strong top-five track position in Stage 3 and found himself a part of the mix on a NASCAR overtime restart.
Utilizing the bottom lane, Mayer tried to shove his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro into the lead while batting John Hunter Nemechek, teammate Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer. Mayer didn’t have the momentum off the corner to keep himself in position and took the white flag fourth in the championship standings, but when Nemechek crashed on the last lap, Mayer settled for fifth and third overall in the Xfinity Series championship standings.
Mayer wasn’t disappointed, instead he his first ever top-10 finish at Phoenix Raceway as motivation to return to the Xfinity Series Championship 4 on Nov. 9, 2023.
“That was a lot of fun,” said Mayer after the race. “That was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race car in a long time.
“Obviously we came up a little bit short, but it wasn’t a lack of effort. Our Accelerated guys put together an amazing piece today. They’ve done a great job this entire year. They gave me the opportunity to have a breakout year and even make it to this point.”
Mayer credited the late race caution on Lap 196 for giving him an opportunity to win the Xfinity Series championship in overtime.
“The last two restarts were hectic,” said Mayer after the race. “We were sixth overall. We had our work cut out for us. We somehow made it happen on the first one and God blessed us with a second one and gave us another chance at it. Just a little bit short.
“We came up a little bit short, but it was a really cool opportunity to be able to put on a show like that for one, and to even say that I had a shot at the championship is cool. Our No. 1
Accelerated Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet was as fast as Xfinity 10G. We were up in the top-five. You can’t really do much more than that.”
With his 19th top-10 finish claimed at Phoenix and an impressive four win season, Mayer said Saturday’s performance is motivation for 2024.
“It’s my first top-10 here, first top-five here,” added Mayer. I’m stoked because it’s my best finish here so far. I can’t really be too bummed out. I said earlier to Dale (Earnhardt Jr., team owner), I’m pumped for next year. More motivating to go out there and do it next year and win the thing next year.
“I’m going to come back next year, be even better because that was 100 percent right there for me. I’m going to come back and I’m going to raise my ceiling a little bit more and be better and do the thing.”
Finishing third in the Xfinity Series championship standings, Mayer knows next season has to be better. More wins, more top-fives, more top-10s and another Championship 4 appearance are all on deck for the new season that launches February 17 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.”
“I’ve got to raise my ceiling a little bit next year to be even better, because like I said, the competition level is just so high.
“I’ve just got to be better, and I plan on doing that.”
Follow Chris Knight on X (Twitter) at @Knighter01 or email: [email protected]
