NASCAR
Sam Mayer Dominates in Must-Win Scenario at Charlotte Roval
CONCORD, N.C. – After crashing out of the first two Playoff races, Sam Mayer left it all on the track at the Charlotte Roval. Entering the elimination race in a must-win scenario 34 points below the cut line, the No. 1 had to finish P1 to keep their Playoff hopes alive. From the pole, Mayer was the class of the field bar none. The Wisconsin native led 50 of 67 laps en route to career win number three, cementing his place in the Round of 8. Despite being so fast though, Mayer did have to fight back late and regain lost ground.
Being so far out of the top eight in points, Mayer elected to short pit each Stage from the lead. This choice handed the Stage wins to Justin Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek. Mayer had the race well in command, until a late debris caution.
On pit road, Cole Custer just beat Mayer out, setting the No. 1 further back on the restart. Jeb Burton and Justin Allgaier were the two leaders by virtue of staying out. This restart lasted only a few hundred yards though, with Burton overdriving turn one and sending Allgaier hard into the outside wall. The top two getting major damage sent the 00 and 1 into the top two spots.
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Even with Custer restarting up front, Mayer retook command in a matter of corners and drove off to the victory. Mayer was not to be denied a wire-to-wire beatdown in his third career triumph.
“What a day, the Good Lord works in mysterious ways,” Mayer said. “He put us down, but He also taught me a lesson and brought me back up. We kicked their tails today and it just feels so great.”
“Bonus points feel great, winning feels great too. Winning solves everything, that’s the name of the game. Getting another shot at it, I think this is our second chance moment and we can make something out of it.”
Behind Mayer and Custer, the Roval top-10 finishers were: Josh Berry, Riley Herbst, Kaz Grala, Parker Kligerman, Daniel Hemric, John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed. Hear from some of these top finishers below.
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Following the first Xfinity Series Playoff elimination, the four drivers left outside looking in are: Hemric, Kligerman, Berry and Jeb Burton.
The reseeded standings have Nemechek back on top with his wealth of bonus points. Take a look at the rest of the Round of 8 points here.
The Xfinity Series will be back in action next Saturday from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Round of 8 kickoff race will go green at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 302 will send a Playoff driver to the Championship 4, putting one of the eight on the doorstep of the ultimate prize.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
