WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer has been on a roll in recent weeks. That form has put him right up near the top of the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
For much of the season, Mayer was the best driver in the Xfinity Series without a victory. Prior to Iowa Speedway, he’d already had nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes and was right there in the hunt. He is also tied for the best average finish in the Xfinity Series (9.5) with Connor Zilisch. He exited Iowa as the victor, earning Haas’ first win in the process.
Saturday (Aug. 9) saw Mayer qualify fourth and keep himself toward the front of the race for much of the event. He was able to avoid the spinning Michael McDowell to get up to third for the final restart.
On that restart, Sammy Smith was able to get past Zilisch for the lead briefly. Mayer was able to briefly get to second before Zilisch charged back and retook the lead.
In the closing laps, Mayer used the bumper in turn 5 in order to move Smith aside. That was enough for him to take second. From there, he held on to take the runner-up spot.
The second-place finish is Mayer’s third top two in a row. It is also his sixth top 10 in the last eight races. Only Zilisch has been stronger over that stretch.
“We stayed out of the carnage today for sure,” Mayer told Frontstretch after the race. “We did our best to do what we do with strategy to stay up front; that bit us on the tail a little.
“We cycled back [down the order], but we were able to get back towards the front. The car was really good. Everyone at Haas Factory Team and Ford [helped] … to give us a really good Ford Mustang.”
With three races remaining in the regular season, Mayer is third in points, 24 behind Zilisch. Knowing that Daytona International Speedway is coming up in two weeks, plus Portland International Raceway and a race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway where quite a few drivers haven’t competed at, anything is possible.
“Man, I don’t know,” he said. “I think Daytona’s going to be a big deal when it comes to [the regular season championship]. If you can have a solid [night] there, make the most of it and not have carnage get you, and have a good rest of the regular season, we’ll be right here. But if one thing goes wrong, it’s all farewell from there.
“We’re going to make the most of it. We’re bringing fast cars to the track every week. It’s just about finishing the job.”
Mayer may have been entering uncharted territory when he left JR Motorsports and Chevrolet for the blue oval with Haas Factory Team. But that move just might have taken his career to the next level.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.