JR Motorsports Race Report
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
Race 33 of 33: NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 200 at Phoenix Raceway
Track Specs: 1-mile oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Cole Custer
Mayer’s Finish: 5th Points position: 3rd
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet, fought hard in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale after battling back from starting 16th in line to run as high as second in Stage Two before rounding out the night just a few spots shy for a fifth-place finish. Mayer battled in the top-five the majority of his night and came out third in the NXS Championship point standings to end the 2023 season for JR Motorsports.
Race Rundown
· Mayer set the Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet 16th in line to start the Saturday afternoon event after his qualifying run early Saturday afternoon. An early caution on the start allowed the young driver to cruise up to 11th and another shortly after gained him an additional two spots to ninth.
· Mayer focused in and drove up through the field in Stage One and landed in fifth with five laps to go and held on to that spot for a fifth-place Stage One finish. The driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet came over the radio to report he is super happy with his car for that first stage. Crew chief Mardy Lindley guided to young driver down pit road for four tires and fuel as Mayer rolled off fourth in line.
· Restarting Stage Two in fourth, Mayer made a pass for the third position and locked in there for the majority of the stage. A quiet second stage allowed the laps to roll by until a caution with nine laps to go while Mayer was battling the No. 20 for second arose. The caution led to the stage end and Mayer’s fight for second took the upside as he ended up with a runner- up Stage Two finish.
· The Franklin, Wis. native reported under yellow that his No. 1 Camaro was feeling pretty free in the center. Mayer pulled down pit road for four fresh tires, some Sunoco fuel and a slight adjustment. A quick pit stop by the crew allowed Mayer to stay even with spots and roll off pit road second to restart the final stage.
· Mayer battled John Hunter Nemechek once again for the runner-up spot on the green-flag shuffle and ultimately ended up settling for third and fell back to fifth a few short laps later with 80 laps to go. A lap-64 caution saw the young driver a little snug firing off but he felt it would clear up on the long runs.
· Under yellow, Mayer brought the No. 1 Chevrolet down pit road for four Goodyear tires and fuel. The young driver fired off pit road seventh with 60 laps to go in the championship event. Mayer quickly got to work and ascended back up to the top five as he was fourth with 35 laps to go until a lap-181 caution came out shortly after.
· Crew chief Mardy Lindley called the young driver to come to pit road one last time for his last set of Goodyear tires and some Sunoco fuel. Mayer restarted in sixth with 12 laps to go and the field began to bunch up in the green-flag shuffle. Another yellow flag fell that pushed the event into NASCAR’s version of overtime.
· Mayer took the bottom to restart from the inside of row three and a battled for the lead between the Championship 4 contenders and saw Mayer wind up just a few spots short to cross the finish line in fifth at the checkered flag. The young driver finished the 2023 NXS season third in points and is ready to come back for more in 2024.
Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet team
“I am super proud of all the hard work and progress this No. 1 JRM team has shown all year long. I had a break out season and even though it did not end the way we all had hoped, I could not be happier with my performance and all this team has given. I am ready for the off-season but even more ready to see what we can do in 2024.”
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