NASCAR
Sam Mayer wins Again in Clutch Fashion on the Charlotte Roval
CONCORD, N.C. – A week removed from a Talladega disqualification, Sam Mayer showed speed from the drop of the green flag at the Charlotte Roval. Following a jumped initial start though, the No. 1 Chevrolet had to fight by passing every car on track. Lining up second in overtime, Mayer took the checkered flag for a second-straight win in this elimination race.
Teammates AJ Allmendinger and Shane van Gisbergen paced the field for Stage 1. Not far behind them in third was Justin Allgaier, who opted against pitting late in Stage 2 and took these valuable points. Stage 2 did see the end of the road for two Playoff contenders. Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed were both involved in a big accident out of turn 17. This ultimately led to a Playoff exit for both drivers.
A timely caution inside of the final 15 laps saw SVG stay out and inherit the lead. The No. 97 would only lose the top spot on his older tires to a determined Parker Kligerman. Making the final few starts of his full-time driving career, Kligerman’s No. 48 muscled by SVG and began to drive off.
An ever-hungry Sam Mayer eventually had fresher tires and a faster car come to his advantage however, and quickly began to loom large in PK’s rearview mirror.
Kligerman held off every challenge, and set cruise to victory lane with an apparent caution moments after the white flag. Except this was not the case, the Big Machine Racing Chevrolet was mere inches away from taking the white flag before the caution flew.
In overtime, Kligerman was easily overpowered by Mayer in turn seven. For a second year in a row, the JR Motorsports No. 1 team execute a walk off win to advance past the Charlotte Roval.
“Man it’s all thanks to the Good Lord above,” Mayer said. “He’s blessed me with a lot of issues this year, learning moments. But to come out here to Charlotte Motor Speedway, go back-to-back with a fast fast car, the QPS Employment Chevrolet was as fast as Xfinity Internet. To do it at home is something special. Thanks y’all for coming out, we appreciate it so much. Man this 1 car was fast today, but we certainly had to work for it there.”
“We were all crossed up getting in [turn seven], I was loose into turn six, and I knew that was my only shot if I got a good angle into that corner. [Kligerman] blocked the bottom, which was good for me, it gave me a better angle off the corner. This Chevrolet was hooked up and we were gone from there. Something super special and now we get to celebrate.”
Behind Mayer, four-time Xfinity Roval winner AJ Allmendinger was second, ahead of Shane van Gisbergen in third. Austin Hill and Chandler Smith rounded out the top-five. Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier, Josh Bilicki, Aric Almirola, and Sammy Smith were the top-10. Hear from a few of these drivers below.
The four drivers eliminated from championship contention after the Roval were van Gisbergen, Kligerman, Herbst, and Creed. Take a look at the reseeded Round of 8 standings below.
The Xfinity Series begins their Elite Eight Playoff round next week from Sin City. The Ambetter Health 302 goes green from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. A ticket to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway is on the line. Who can grab the checkers under the greatest pressure?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
