By the time Lap 4 of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Roval rolled around, Sam Mayer’s chances of winning and advancing in the 2024 Xfinity Series playoffs seemed very slim.
A penalty dealt to Mayer for jumping the start forced him to do a pass-through penalty, and while he had a fast car beneath him, he would have to carve through the field in order to find the front.
He did just that as the race went on, but found himself in second place when the white flag flew, far enough back of race leader Parker Kligerman that he would be unable to make even a desperation move for the checkered flag.
Suddenly, Mayer was gifted a yellow cloth from the heavens, as a caution flag was thrown seconds before Kligerman took the white flag. With NASCAR overtime on deck, Mayer had one more shot to win the race and keep his season going.
Just as he did at the Roval in 2023, Mayer came up clutch when he needed to, getting around Kligerman with two laps to go and holding on to score his third victory of the 2024 season.
