Sam Mayer saves Xfinity title hopes with dramatic Roval win
Sam Mayer, who was put in this position after being disqualified at Talladega, won in overtime at Charlotte to salvage his 2024 title hopes. The driver of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet is now a back-to-back winner at the Charlotte Roval in NASCAR Xfinity competition.
However, it was not without some controversy. Parker Kligerman was in control of the race and as he took the white flag, the caution flag few for a car buried in a tire pack at the other end of the track.
While the starter briefly flew the white flag, the timing loop showed the yellow light just before Kligerman reached the line. In moment of confusion, NASCAR reviewed the footage and confirmed that the race was not yet over because the caution had come out a fraction of a second before cars crossed the line. It was a matter of inches that pushed the race into overtime.
On the ensuing restart, Mayer was able to get around Kligerman and snatch the victory away. The win saved Mayer from playoff elimination, leaving Kligerman to dwell on what could have been.
“To come out here to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, go back-to-back with a fast car — to do it at home is something special. We certainly had to work for it though,” said Mayer.
Speaking on the winning pass, he added: “We were all crossed up getting in there. I was loose into (Turn) 6. I know that it was my only shot if I got a good angle into that corner. He blocked the bottom, which was good for me. It gave me a better angle up off the corner. This Chevrolet was hooked up and we were going from there.”
Watch: Sam Mayer: ‘Something special’ after Roval victory
In the battle around the playoff bubble, Shane van Gisbergen was in a tight battle with Jesse Love. SVG held the final transfer spot at the white flag, but Love managed to pass just enough cars to move forward in the championship fight. Van Gisbergen finished third and was eliminated by just two points. Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed were also eliminated after being collected in a mid-race pileup exiting the final chicane. And then there is Kligerman, who went from thinking he won the race to being knocked out of the playoffs.
The race started with Mayer actually getting penalized for jumping the initial start. He was able to quickly rebound as A.J. Allmendinger won the opening stage and Justin Allgaier won Stage 2. Both drivers collected enough points to secure their advancement into the Round of 8.
The race was slowed by seven cautions, including the Lap 32 pileup that ended the title hopes of Herbst and Creed. The Round of 8 opens at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend.
Cla
Driver
#
Manufacturer
Laps
Time
Interval
Pits
Points
1
S. MayerJR Motorsports
1
Chevrolet
72
2:28’34.888
6
48
2
A. AllmendingerKaulig Racing
16
Chevrolet
72
+1.474
2:28’36.362
1.474
6
50
3
S. van GisbergenKaulig Racing
97
Chevrolet
72
+2.284
2:28’37.172
0.810
5
47
4
A. HillRichard Childress Racing
21
Chevrolet
72
+3.072
2:28’37.960
0.788
6
40
5
C. SmithJoe Gibbs Racing
81
Toyota
72
+3.708
2:28’38.596
0.636
6
36
6
P. KligermanBig Machine Racing Team
48
Chevrolet
72
+4.048
2:28’38.936
0.340
6
31
7
J. AllgaierJR Motorsports
7
Chevrolet
72
+4.577
2:28’39.465
0.529
6
48
8
J. BilickiJoe Gibbs Racing
19
Toyota
72
+4.921
2:28’39.809
0.344
6
32
9
A. AlmirolaJoe Gibbs Racing
20
Toyota
72
+5.691
2:28’40.579
0.770
5
35
10
S. SmithJR Motorsports
8
Chevrolet
72
+6.151
2:28’41.039
0.460
5
27
11
B. JonesJR Motorsports
9
Chevrolet
72
+6.761
2:28’41.649
0.610
5
26
12
P. RetzlaffJordan Anderson Racing
31
Chevrolet
72
+7.343
2:28’42.231
0.582
6
25
13
C. CusterStewart-Haas Racing
00
Ford
72
+7.907
2:28’42.795
0.564
5
24
14
A. LabbéDGM Racing
91
Chevrolet
72
+8.241
2:28’43.129
0.334
5
23
15
J. BurtonJordan Anderson Racing
27
Chevrolet
72
+8.669
2:28’43.557
0.428
5
22
16
A. AlfredoOur Motorsports
5
Chevrolet
72
+9.610
2:28’44.498
0.941
8
21
17
R. SiegRSS Racing
28
Ford
72
+9.778
2:28’44.666
0.168
8
20
18
C. MosackJR Motorsports
88
Chevrolet
72
+9.832
2:28’44.720
0.054
7
19
J. LoveRichard Childress Racing
2
Chevrolet
72
+10.010
2:28’44.898
0.178
5
24
20
J. ClementsJeremy Clements Racing
51
Chevrolet
72
+10.518
2:28’45.406
0.508
6
17
21
P. PardusPardus Racing Inc.
50
Chevrolet
72
+11.007
2:28’45.895
0.489
5
16
22
M. DiBenedettoRSS Racing
38
Ford
72
+11.386
2:28’46.274
0.379
6
15
23
K. SiegRSS Racing
39
Ford
72
+14.296
2:28’49.184
2.910
7
14
24
D. CramDGM Racing
92
Chevrolet
72
+16.050
2:28’50.938
1.754
8
25
N. ByrdSS-Green Light Racing
14
Chevrolet
72
+16.920
2:28’51.808
0.870
6
12
26
B. PerezAlpha Prime Racing
45
Chevrolet
72
+19.655
2:28’54.543
2.735
5
11
27
D. LuptonAM Racing
15
Ford
71
+1 Lap
2:29’07.421
1 Lap
11
10
28
L. HoneymanYoung’s Motorsports
42
Chevrolet
65
+7 Laps
2:11’21.963
6 Laps
7
15
29
S. KaramSS-Green Light Racing
07
Chevrolet
63
+9 Laps
2:08’28.589
2 Laps
6
10
30
A. GreenJordan Anderson Racing
32
Chevrolet
58
+14 Laps
2:00’25.906
5 Laps
5
7
31
R. EllisAlpha Prime Racing
43
Chevrolet
58
+14 Laps
2:29’03.092
28’37.186
5
6
32
R. HerbstStewart-Haas Racing
98
Ford
57
+15 Laps
2:16’19.534
1 Lap
10
8
33
B. PerkinsRSS Racing
29
Ford
56
+16 Laps
2:28’55.566
1 Lap
5
4
34
T. AnnunziataJoey Gase Motorsports
35
Toyota
52
+20 Laps
1:46’50.110
4 Laps
10
3
35
S. CreedJoe Gibbs Racing
18
Toyota
38
+34 Laps
1:23’41.714
14 Laps
7
7
36
J. WilliamsKaulig Racing
11
Chevrolet
32
+40 Laps
1:02’12.270
6 Laps
4
1
37
E. JonesSam Hunt Racing
26
Toyota
32
+40 Laps
1:02’12.856
0.586
4
1
38
B. PooleAlpha Prime Racing
44
Chevrolet
32
+40 Laps
1:02’13.511
0.655
4
1
