JR Motorsports Race Report Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023
Race 25 of 33: Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway Track Specs: 1.366-mile oval/ 147 laps Race Winner: Denny Hamlin Mayer’s finish: 11th Points position: 5th (-187)
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet, battled multiple ongoing issues throughout Saturday’s event at Darlington Raceway. From getting sent to the back after repairing damage in qualifying, to radio issues and failing brakes throughout the race, Mayer and the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team pulled together an 11th-place finish at “The Lady In Black” and held their fifth-place spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship point standings.
Race Rundown
After kissing the wall for a fifth-place qualifying run early Saturday morning, the young driver was forced to start at the rear of the pack due to repairs being made on the No. 1 Chevrolet before the start of the event.
Mayer cruised up to 25th by lap 10 before the team realized that there were radio issues going on in the No. 1 Camaro. The young driver fought hard through the stage as he was trying to relay how the car was handling with hand signals to the team.
A shove into the outside wall forced Mayer to pit road under caution with three laps to go that plagued Mayer to the stage end. Crew chief Mardy Lindley called for four tires, fuel and radio repairs as the No. 1 team battled against the clock.
Despite still struggling to communicate with the team, Mayer maintained a quiet Stage Two. Then, during a lap-55 caution, Lindley called the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet back down pit road for additional damage repair and to continue to work on the radio issues.
The Franklin, Wis. native cruised to an 18th-place Stage Two finish. Lindley called for four tires and fuel under the stage break and one more radio check for good measure.
The young driver restarted in the 15th position for the third and final stage, as it was time to put the issues aside and the pedal to the floor. The yellow flag fell once again and Mayer reported the car was feeling a little snug and felt he needed to be freed up just a little bit. The No. 1 team gave Mayer four fresh tires, some Sunoco fuel and a slight track-bar adjustment.
Mayer held strong in the top 15 as he stayed under the radar to fight for the finish. Another caution with 15 laps to go allowed the driver of the No. 1 Camaro to take his last set of four Goodyear tires and top off of Sunoco fuel with another track-bar adjustment. In the closing laps Mayer reported he was rapidly losing his brakes and struggling to stay away from contact. The young driver fought hard through the last laps and rallied to the cusp of the top 10 at the checkered flag, finishing 11th.
Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet team
“Not the day we had hoped for at all and I am thankful that we salvaged an 11th-place finish after all we went through today. It is all things that I hope we can capitalize on and get back on our hot streak that we had going in Kansas next week. Can’t thank the team enough for keeping this No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet in the game and up to speed all day.”
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