JR Motorsports Race Report
Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023
Race 21 of 33: Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway
Track Specs: 2-mile D-shaped oval / 125 laps
Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek
Mayer’s finish: 5th Point’s position: 6th (-181)
Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet, raced his way to a fifth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday afternoon. The strong result comes after a solid fourth-place qualifying effort on Friday and a hard-fought battle inside the top 10 the majority of the NASCAR Xfinity Series event. Mayer’s performance in the Irish Hills holds his sixth-place championship point standings position at 181 markers behind the leader.
Race Rundown
Mayer set the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet to line up fourth for the start of the Cabo Wabo 250 in Friday afternoon’s qualifying event. During the green-flag shuffle, the young driver drove to third and held on tight until a lap 4 caution came out. Mayer reported he felt a little snug center off.
Restarting third in line, Mayer pulled up to give teammate Josh Berry a push and the pair took off. Another yellow flag fell for a multi-car incident where the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet made a move to the bottom to avoid contact and came out clean. Mayer pulled good momentum on the restart and raced his way back up to the top five.
Shortly after another caution arose and the No. 1 Chevrolet was shuffled back to seventh in line. Mayer reported to crew chief Mardy Lindley “I am super tight on the corners and I just have no attack.” The Franklin, Wis. native held strong to gather a ninth-place Stage One finish.
Lindley called the young driver down pit road under the stage break for four fresh tires, fuel and a slight adjustment. Mayer lined up 11th for the green-flag restart of Stage Two. A lap-40 caution fell and the driver of the No. 1 expressed he was lacking right rear grip. Mayer held strong in fifth before getting loose and falling back to score an eighth-place Stage Two finish.
Mayer pulled the No. 1 Chevrolet down pit road for four tires and some Sunoco fuel to start the final stage in the eighth position. A quiet final stage for the young driver allowed him to run smooth in the top 10 before a planned lap 95 green-flag pit stop gave Mayer his final set of Goodyear tires and fuel. With 15 laps to go in the Saturday afternoon event, the driver of the No. 1 settled seventh in line.
Mayer reported the car was firing off really well and he was eager to get closer to the front. A caution with 13 laps to go allowed Mayer to set into focus and plan a solid restart. The young driver held strong and powered to a fifth-place finish to keep his top-five streak alive.
Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet team
“I am super proud of this No. 1 team today and could not be more thankful for the work they put into this car each and every week. Had a really solid and clean day in the top ten and I am really happy to have solidified a fifth-place finish at Michigan today. Turned our luck around for this track that is for sure! Looking forward to seeing what we can bring at Indy.”
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