The NASCAR weekend kicked off with the Xfinity Series race at Darlington. We almost had a new winner, as Sheldon Creed was looking strong in the lead at the last laps of the race. What could have been his first career win was ruined when a caution flag came out because of AJ Allmendinger’s crash. After the pit stop, Creed found himself in third place, behind Christopher Bell and Cole Custer.

Like the Creed, even JR Motorsports, Sam Mayer was disappointed. He had a poor finish on a day when his car seemed like the one destined to win. Mayer had a P4 at the earlier Darlington race of the season. But this time, the track wasn’t kind to the #1 driver. Post the race Mayer was disappointed at not being able to capitalize, despite having a powerful car! Who wouldn’t be? After all, everyone wants to tame the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame.’

Sam Mayer was bummed after his Darlington run

At the end of the drama, Christopher Bell finally took the chequered flag at the Darlington Raceway, beating out Cole Custer in overtime. This marked Bell’s first career win at the iconic track. The #20 has now won both Xfinity races he’s entered this year. Creed followed Custer in third, Chase Elliott finished in P4, and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five. This was the story at the end of the race. However, the start of Darlington showed a very different picture. And had the race gods been in his favor, Mayer could have bagged his 3rd win of the season.

However, here’s what happened on track: Sam Mayer started the race in third place and quickly passed the pole sitter Christopher Bell to take the lead on lap 28. Unfortunately, his luck ran out on lap 38 when he got a flat tire and spun out. The spin cost him a lap, which he couldn’t make until the end. He had to be satisfied with a mere 28th-place finish. The disappointed #1 talked about what unfolded on track.

In a post-race interview, he said, “Obviously, we had a really fast car. Super proud of all these guys. Not how we wanted it to go, but we showed that we were here. We went up there and passed all those Cup guys and didn’t leave the top three until our incident.”

What was surprising was that Mayer’s spin did not amount to a yellow flag. Had a caution been thrown, the #1 could have joined the race back with everyone and not a lap down. Even Mayer was surprised that there was no caution. Reiterating this, he said, “I lost control and went up and almost went into the field. I was like, holy crap, there’s going to be a caution for sure. And then there wasn’t, so I quickly looped it back around. It’s just part of it, unfortunately.” If Mayer hadn’t lost that lap, the youngster probably could have kept up with the race leaders.

The JR Motorsports star has had a great season so far. In the 23 races, he has managed to get 2 wins, seven top-5 and ten top-10 finishes. He currently sits 7th in the playoff picture, eyeing his second playoffs in a row and possibly a second final four! Mayer is eager to come to the Cup Series and being a Xfinity champion would be a good addition to the resume for getting him on the radar.

Mayer’s Cup Series dream

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NASCAR is currently in the silly season. There are some empty seats in the Cup. Spire Motorsports hasn’t yet announced the pilot for Corey LaJoie’s #7 ride for 2025. Maybe Sam Mayer could land a deal. He has recently shown eagerness to move to a higher level. When, he had said, “I’m not going to deny the fact that whatever team, when, if that comes soon in the next year or so, it’s going to be a step. It’s going to be a long lesson to learn at some point in time. You see, a lot of these other guys that I’ve been racing against the last couple of years, they are in the Cup now and still haven’t won yet. It’s interesting because it’s that big of a step and that much harder.”

Some might argue that the youngster must spend more years in the lower series to gain the required experience. Otherwise, the journey in the Cup can be challenging. Look at Harrison Burton for example. Other than his unexpected Daytona win, he has struggled in the Cup. He is 34th in the standings in the 2024 season. However, Mayer is confident that if he lands a ride, he is well aware of the hardships of the Cup Series. Reiterating this, he said, “I’m going to put my mouthguard in and get ready to rip on it. I like to learn my lesson the hard way a lot, and I feel like going Cup racing, you’re going to learn those lessons either way. The sooner I can experience that, the better, and make my future career that much longer.”

Currently, Mayer has been signed by the Haas Factory Team to run one of their Xfinity rides alongside Sheldon Creed in 2025. But we never know, NASCAR is full of uncertainties, and we might see the rising star in the big league. What do you think? Is a promotion possible? Let us know in the comments below.