
JR Motorsports Race Report
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Race 13 of 33: Alsco Uniforms 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Track Specs: 1.5-mile quad-oval / 200 laps
Race Winner: Josh Berry
Mayer’s finish: 3rd Point’s position: 6th (-107)
Sam Mayer ran near the front all day long in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 for NASCAR Xfinity Series machines at Charlotte Motor Speedway, leading laps and eventually rallying to finish third in the 200-lap event. Mayer’s performance, which contributed to a very strong day for JR Motorsports, saw him advance one position in the NXS point standings to sixth.
Race Rundown
The 18-year-old Wisconsin driver put the No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet on the pole for the 200-lap grind on Charlotte’s 1.5-mile quad-oval. It was his first pole position in the NXS. On the initial green flag, Mayer burst into the lead and held it for two laps before giving up the top spot.
Continuing to run strong. Mayer settled in the top five. Quiet on the radio, Mayer continued to hold station among the leaders until the first caution waved at lap 16. In conversation with interim crew chief Andrew Overstreet, Mayer was unsure exactly what his Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet needed, and he stayed out on the track.
When the next caution waved at lap 31, Mayer was sixth and reported to Overstreet that his Camaro was getting progressively tighter as they ran and he could not run the wall with the rest of the top cars.
Another caution waved with three laps to go in the 45-lap Stage One with Mayer still in sixth and still tight. The caution ran to the green-and-white checkered flag that ended Stage One, and Mayer logged five valuable stage points. On pit road, Overstreet gave his driver four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help with the tight condition. The pit crew turned in a quick stop and Mayer gained two positions on the exchange to line up fourth for the 45-lap Stage Two.
When the green flag launched the second stage, Mayer got an excellent restart and flew into second place. A couple of laps later, teammate Josh Berry got by and Mayer settled in third. A caution at lap 74 allowed Mayer to tell Overstreet that the adjustments had bettered his handling, but he was still on the tight side.
Despite the tight condition, Mayer maintained his position in the top three all the way to lap 90 and the end of Stage Two. The finish added eight points to his total for the day and put him in solid position to capitalize in the final segment. On the ensuing pit stop for tires and fuel, Mayer’s crew got him out in third position.
Mayer got a good start for the final segment and maintained his position in the top five over the initial run. Under caution at lap 110, Mayer told Overstreet the car was still on the tight side when he tried to run the very top lane.
With 64 laps remaining, Mayer took third position and battled several other drivers to keep it. When the cars closed on him, Mayer reported that the air from the other cars was making him even tighter.
The team made its final green-flag pit stop with 43 laps to go, adding four more tires and fuel for the run to the finish. Cycling out in sixth position, Mayer carved his way to third at the checkered flag.
The third-place result was Mayer’s second consecutive and fourth straight in the top five. Over his last eight starts, Mayer has finished in the top five on seven occasions. The surge has pushed the young driver to sixth in series points after 13 races.
Sam Mayer, driver No. 1 Accelerate Talent Group Chevrolet team
“Another good finish for our Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team. We were just so tight most of the race, and I couldn’t run the fence like the rest of the guys I was racing, but Andrew (Overstreet) and my No. 1 team made adjustments that helped me overcome that. We are in a good place with this No. 1 team and I’m having a lot of fun running up front. Can’t wait to get to Portland next week and try out that road course. It was a great day for JR Motorsports as well. We’re running very well as a team.”
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