The Indianapolis race is the last one before a two-week summer Olympic break for NASCAR. This is definitely not how Sam Mayer and Josh Berry would have imagined going into the break. The Indianapolis is always susceptible to crashes, but wasn’t this one a little too soon?

Mayer had a little taste of his own medicine in Pocono when he was involved in a crash that left SVG spinning on the track. And who can forget the beeping words of Chandler Smith? Certainly not, Sam Mayer. A frustrated #1 driver talked about a lack of respect by other drivers in the Xfinity race that led to the crash.

Sam Mayer was frustrated after the first lap exit

Riley Herbst won the NASCAR Xfinity race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is his first win of the season, and it came at a crucial time as the series is in the playoff race. Finishing in the second position was none other than his teammate, Cole Cluster. What a day for Stewart-Haas Racing!

On the contrary, the team that wasn’t having their best day was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports. Right into the race, at turn 3, Sam Mayer, driving the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro, had a contact in the middle of the field with A.J. Allmendinger, who was on the outside of him. After the contact, Mayer spun, and it was mayhem.

12 cars got roped in, leading to a massive crash on the Indianapolis. Among the 12 were, Jesse Love, Jeremy Clements, Sammy Smith, Parker Retzlaff, Jeb Burton, Chandler Smith, Conor Daly, Kyle Sieg, and Joe Graf Jr.

The cars of Josh Berry and Sam Mayer suffered great damage and had to be retired early. Not being able to finish the race at such a crucial time of the season left Sam Mayer, frustrated. In a post-race interview with Frontstretch, he said, “Really really frustrating to be in that sandwich right there for no reason. In the first lap, it was my first time getting speed. So definitely pretty frustrated but we all make mistakes and um that’s just a really sorry one to be in that situation to begin with so I don’t know what else I could have done other than just trying to squeeze the 88 down.” 

Mayer’s explanation was that he tried to give enough room and be respectful about giving space to other drivers in the race. However, according to him, he did not receive any in return. He expressed, “I was just trying to be respectful give enough room, but it looked like no one else was being respectful out there so.”

An unpleased Sam Mayer hinted at being more aggressive at the next race in Michigan, he said, “I guess that’s noted going into Michigan, cause it’s going to be the exact same thing and I am going to do my absolute best to put everyone in a bad spot, respectfully.”

Not being able to finish a race has to be the greatest tragedy for a driver. Although not bigger than the uncertainty of your career and your next season, it was a great day for Stewart-Haas Racing. But for the winner of Indianapolis, things are out of place.

Uncertainties at Stewart-Haas Racing

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History was created for Team SHR at the Indianapolis Xfinity race. Herbst and Cole Custer finishing P1–P2 is a first for SHR in the Xfinity series. However, it’s not all good news, SHR has announced that it will shut down at the end of the 2024 season. But the Haas Factory Team will also continue to maintain the Xfinity Series program started under the Stewart-Haas banner.

Although It is unclear where Indianapolis winner Riley Herbst will end up in 2025. Haas’s new team has made Herbst an offer to stay with the team., although nothing has been confirmed yet. There are possibilities that he may choose to pursue other opportunities in the Cup Series. Herbst, while talking about his plans for 2025, said, “There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes.”

However, his teammate Cole Custer has made plans clear. He is set to return to the NASCAR Cup series in 2025 and will drive the No. 41 Ford for the Haas Factory Team in 2025. The runner up from Indianapolis is stoked to have an opportunity to drive in the Cup series.

Speaking about his 2025 plans in NASCAR, Cole Custer said: “To have this opportunity to get to drive for Haas Factory Team next year is huge for me, and I think we can do some really special things with the resources we have as a team. We’re ready to get work and get some great people, and I think we’ll be able to compete with the best.”

There are a lot of uncertainties in the Haas’s Factory team. HFT announced that they will run one full-time NASCAR Cup Series entry next year. SHR currently operates a two-car NXS team as well, which will continue under the Haas banner in 2025.

However, with Cole Custer moving back up to Cup, one seat is vacant in their Xfinity series. According to NASCAR insiders, Hailie Deegan might get a ride in one of those seats. The president of HFT, Joe Custer, might have hinted at it when he said, “We believe there’s more in her and we want to be a part of that.” 

Like the uncertainties at SHR and HFT, there are several in series as well. Who do you think will make it to the playoffs, and who wouldn’t? Tell us in the comments down below.