Race 6 of 33: Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas Track Specs: 3.426-mile road course / 46 laps Race Winner: AJ Allmendinger Mayer’s finish: 5th Points position: (9th -96)
Sam Mayer capitalized in all three stages of Saturday’s Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas which netted a Stage Two victory and a fifth-place finish for the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team. The effort was Mayer’s best of the 2022 season and advanced the driver four positions to ninth in the championship standings. As the fourth-highest finishing Xfinity Series regular, Mayer is also one of four drivers competing in next weekend’s Dash 4 Cash payout at Richmond Raceway.
Race Rundown
Taking the green flag in 10th, Mayer gave up several positions early on as the field stretched out and he found his rhythm around the massive 3.4-mile facility. By lap five, he had climbed back to 11th with his eyes on a top-10 position.
Mayer’s focus early on was avoiding wheel spin and getting all he could out of the track’s two low-speed corners. Toward the end of Stage One, Mayer was getting faster with each lap.
The No. 1 team strategically pitted under green-flag conditions just prior to the conclusion of Stage One. With other competitors electing to stay out, Mayer concluded Stage One in 23rd.
The Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevy cycled back toward the front for the beginning of Stage Two, and Mayer wasted little time finding the front of the field. Watching several competitors stack up into Turn 1, Mayer took full advantage and powered his way into the runner-up spot on the first lap of the second stage.
Mayer fell back to fifth several laps later, but maintained pace with the leaders by clicking off some very strong lap times.
When the leaders came to pit road toward the end of Stage Two, the No. 1 team was in position to take the lead. Mayer moved to the point and led the final three laps of the stage to earn the first stage win of his career.
Mayer came to the attention of the crew for the final time under the stage-ending caution and lined up for the ensuing restart in 29th.
The Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions had their work cut out for them. But with a mindset of keeping his nose clean and staying out of trouble, Mayer went to work. He climbed to 16th by lap 36 and pressed on to ninth with only six laps remaining in the race. He went on to secure four more positions before the checkered flag fell, scoring his first top five and second top 10 of the 2022 season.
Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet team
“Man, those last few laps there was some really hard racing going on. It took a few seconds just to catch my breath after taking the checkered flag. But huge thanks to Taylor (Moyer) and everyone on our Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team. We raced hard today and it was a lot of fun out there. It’s a great feeling to keep ourselves out of trouble, execute our strategy and to come out of here with a solid finish. I appreciate all these guys and their efforts today.”