"That’s a lot to be proud of": JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer opens up about his 2nd place finish at Fontana

Sam Mayer, who began 22nd after the lineup was determined according to the rule book due to qualifying being postponed, claimed he had a mid-pack car at the start of the race that his crew cranked up during the evening to give him a shot at the win. He would've won if a few things had gone his way on pit road.

Sam Mayer's JR Motorsports Camaro finished second in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday (February 26) night, a far cry from last week's trip to the infield care center after the No. 1 car finished the race upside-down on the Daytona International Speedway backstretch.

While the checkered flag and trophy will end up at Joe Gibbs Racing HQ, with race winner John Hunter Nemechek outpacing JRM's Sam Mayer on the final lap to win the Production Alliance Group 300, the class of the field for NASCAR's Saturday series was once again up to its weekly ways Sunday night at Auto Club Speedway.

The 300-mile race was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Southern California, but unexpected rain and snow flurries the size of cotton balls forced the event to be moved to Sunday after the Cup Series race.

Sam Mayer said during the post-race interview:

“I think we were just as good as the 20 (of Nemechek) at the end. I mean, we did not start off that way and we had a lot of work to do and our No. 1 Accelerate Camaro definitely got a lot better throughout the day when the kitchen sink was added.”

“But super proud of my guys. I mean, they did everything right there at the end … that’s a lot to be proud of, to kind of go from a 20th-place car to like a solid second-place car.”

The 19-year-old Wisconsin native's first two weeks of the season have both ended in disappointment, with him spending half of last week's Daytona opening on his roof after an accident at the finish of the race before falling just short on Sunday. Mayer is the only JRM driver without a series victory, but it is sure to come his way.

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Sam Mayer can 'taste that first win' after finishing second at Auto Club Raceway

Sam Mayer began the race in 22nd place after both practice and qualifying were delayed due to rain, but dropped to 34th at the end of the first stage. Mayer was in position to take advantage during the last 60 laps of intense racing at Auto Club Speedway after a strong recovery to a quiet seventh-place finish in stage two.

Sam Mayer closed down on eventual race winner Nemechek as the laps ticked away. But he couldn't make up the last six tenths before the checkered flag.

Despite admitting with laughter that losing by less than a second a week after wrecking out from the lead was "two different kinds of heartbreak," the 19-year-old was nonetheless optimistic about his future in the Xfinity Series:

“I can taste that first win there. It’s literally like 20-30 yards ahead of me and I just can’t break that bubble … I’m just ready for next week to come because I know we’ll have a lot of speed and be really good.”

Sam Mayer, who is looking for inspiration from a new Chevrolet teammate, isn't going to settle for silver.