Despite NASCAR setback, Kelley Earnhardt's team defies odds as Sam Mayer advances in playoffs

JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer secured his third victory on the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. This win came under crucial circumstances as the Kelley Earnhardt-owned Xfinity team's driver was penalized for a violation during the post-race inspection last weekend in Talladega.

After a P16 finish at the United Rentals 250 race, the 21-year-old Mayer's situation worsened when he was handed a disqualification penalty for failing a rear-body height inspection in Talladega. As a result, the #1 Chevy driver found himself below the cut-line and was left with one race to redeem himself, which he did.

Speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Mayer addressed this triumph as having the same feeling as last year when he had a must-win situation at Charlotte ROVAL to qualify for the next round.

"I made it to the champ four because of my win last year, and I expect to do the same thing this year. Obviously, it's a tall task to go out there and do that, but each and every week, I have cars as fast as Xfinity Internet, and it's a huge thanks to all these guys that work on this one car in the shop each and every week," Sam Mayer said.

Furthermore, reflecting on the penalty that almost cost his advancement to the next round of playoffs, he added:

"We shot ourselves in the foot last week, obviously, with that penalty. Not that it was our fault. It's just a circumstances thing with how they do tech inspection. But I definitely did that to myself this week on that, on the initial start. So it's a super cool thing to come back and learn from that mistake, get the lead on another restart in that same position, and then go out there and win."

Currently, the two-time ARCA Menards East champion Mayer is in his third full-time Xfinity season and is set to transition to the newly-founded Haas Factory Team, beginning from the 2025 season.

---

"He's got a lot of maturing still": When NASCAR icon and Kelley Earnhardt's brother addressed Sam Mayer's move to HFT from JRM

In his third full-time season in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, Sam Mayer has continued to impress with his performances and is now in his third consecutive Xfinity post-season.

Soon after the announcement of Mayer's move to the Haas Factory Team, JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. discussed how the young Chevy driver requires "polish and clean up" albeit in a good way. He said (during a YouTube live in August):

"[Sam Mayer’s] got a lot of maturing still yet to do and I mean that in a good way... He can win races but he still has some things to clean up. I think once he’s winning a couple races a year as he is and I think when he does polish and clean up and get better he’ll double that win total and win more regularly."

Moreover, the NASCAR Hall of Famer said he supports Mayer's move to Gene Haas' team and believes it to be an advantageous move.

As things stand, Sam Mayer has advanced to the Round of 8 of the playoffs with his ROVAL win. However, he is eight points below the championship 4 cut-line.