“I could be aggressive on restarts. Really aggressive gaining that track position.” Sam Mayer uttered these words upon winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Iowa back in August. He had powered his No. 41 Ford past Jesse Love following a Lap 234 restart, securing Haas-Factory Team’s first-ever win. Almost three months later, Mayer stayed true to those words while trying to fetch his team its first championship – although the consequences will be bitter, as Denny Hamlin believes.

The penultimate race of the Xfinity Series playoffs unfolded recently at Martinsville Speedway. JR Motorsports drivers had a big advantage, with Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier already locked in. Hence, Sam Mayer was fighting against hope to prevail over them – but his ambitious drive tipped over into a cha

See Full Page