It wasn’t the verdict Dale Earnhardt Jr. was hoping for. When the checkered flag was waved at Talladega Superspeedway, JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer finished the United Rentals 250 in 16th place, a respectable result on an unpredictable track. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse when his No. 1 Chevrolet failed the post-race technical inspection after the car was found to be too low, especially in the rear as he violated Rule 14.17.3.2.22. of the rear body standards.

Despite Junior’s team appealing the judgment, the sanctioning body upheld their decision, which means Mayer will have to settle for a last-place result at the 2.66-mile oval. The verdict is a major blow to the 21-year-old’s title ambitions, as he’s currently battling for the playoffs in the Xfinity Series.

NASCAR has been in the middle of plenty of controversies lately. With 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports refusing to sign the charter proposal, both teams have filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the sanctioning body for monopolistic practices. While the organization is yet to comment on the developments, a long and bitter court case is expected to take place, one that could change the way the sport operates forever. It seems like Michael Jordan and co. aren’t the only ones who have stood against NASCAR recently, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. also questioned their judgment after Sam Mayer’s car was found in violation.

Even though JR Motorsports’ appeal was shot down, it didn’t stop Dale Jr. from publicly sharing the reasons that may have led to the infringement. He said, “The rear clip on the 1 was bent from a series of aggressive bump drafting incidents Saturday. We had photo evidence of the kinks in the tubing in a chassis that was previously certified along with body scans before and after the event. There isn’t much we can do about the clip possibly getting destroyed in these races. It happens. Unfortunately we weren’t able to convince the panel of our unenviable situation on to the Roval.”

According to NASCAR panelists Dixon Johnston, Bill Mullis, and Shawna Robinson, Sam Mayer’s car was found in violation of Rule 14.17.3.2.2.2, concerning post-qualifying and post-race rear body inspection heights. The 21-year-old driver has already notched two wins this season, at Texas and Iowa, but now he faces a crucial moment at the Charlotte Roval if he hopes to advance to the Round of 8. With just five races left in the 2024 season, the Wisconsin native aims to finish strong with JR Motorsports before moving to the Haas Factory team next year.

It’s now or never for Mayer, who currently sits 11th in the standings, and is 13 points above the elimination cutline in the bubble. Had it not been for the disqualification, he would have been in eighth place with a 10-point buffer heading into the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course.

With no margin for error in the 2024 Driver for the Cure 250, Mayer is optimistic, especially since he won the race last year.

Sam Mayer looking forward to racing at the Charlotte Roval

It’s fair to say that Sam Mayer has improved significantly at JR Motorsports. The former ARCA Series East champion is currently in the middle of his third full season for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team and has built on his seventh-place finish at the end of his debut season to finish third last year.

Despite the recent setback at Talladega Superspeedway, the 21-year-old will look to start afresh in the upcoming races and end his JR Motorsports career on a positive note. Given his results at ‘The Roval’ in the past, it’s easy to see where Mayer gets his confidence from.

Highlighting his expectations from the upcoming race, Mayer told Speedway Digest, “We had a solid run in Talladega really all day until some unfortunate luck came our way at the end there so we will have to give it our all this weekend at The Roval and meet everyone in Victory Lane just like we did last year. This is a super-fun track for me as we have run pretty well here in the past and getting our first Roval win last season. I know Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and the No. 1 guys will unload a solid road-course car and we know what we have to do so we will go out and get it done.”

The upcoming 67-lap race will be held at a hybrid road course, a track type that plays right into the hands of Shane van Gisbergen. The Kiwi is three points ahead of Sam Mayer in the elimination cutline and will also be competing to keep his Xfinity title hopes alive before moving to the Cup Series in 2025.

With the stakes being higher than ever at the 2024 Drive for the Cure 250, will the JR Motorsports driver be able to handle the pressure?