talked about he thought he may have received a race or two already , however then he clarified.
“Ought to have received,” Mayer stated with conviction. “Positively ought to have received not less than two, may have received in all probability 4, possibly 5.
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“A number of woulda, coulda, shoulda on this sport for positive.”
Mayer is one among two promising younger Wisconsin drivers combating to show prospects into accomplishments because the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence strikes past the season’s midpoint and towards the 12-driver, nine-race .
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – APRIL 11: Parker Retzlaff, driver of the #99 FUNKAWAY Chevrolet, and Sam Mayer, driver of the #41 Audibel Chevrolet, race through the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence Suburban Propane 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photograph by Matt Kelley/Getty Pictures)
By means of 20 races, with three to go earlier than factors are reset for the Chase – the reshaped pseudo-playoff – Mayer sits tenth within the standings. He’s 66 factors above thirteenth, giving him a couple of race’s value of padding.
“We’ve achieved lots of actually spectacular and nice issues and we’ve had velocity at lots of racetracks that we confirmed up at,” the 23-year-old from Franklin stated. “And lots of issues simply type of didn’t go our method after they type of wanted to, but it surely wasn’t a scarcity of effort for positive.
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“I might give us, like, a B-minus general. … We may have received by now, for positive. We simply haven’t but. In order that’s the one factor knocking me down slightly bit is simply not getting a victory achieved but.”
After a end of eighth July 4 at Chicagoland Speedway, Mayer and the No. 41 Haas Manufacturing facility Group Chevrolet crew have 10 top-10 finishes and 5 top-fives, plus two poles.
Mayer has received eight instances since becoming a member of the sequence mid-2021, after he turned 18, however has gone 30 races with out visiting victory lane. The drought of greater than 11 months since Mayer received at Iowa Speedway is his longest since ready 70 races for his first win.
Nonetheless, he has seen progress in himself as a driver this season.
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“I’ve gotten loads higher, extra mature in relation to speedway racing,” Mayer stated. “All three speedway tracks [Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega] I felt like we had the capabilities of profitable.
“Atlanta involves thoughts. That was one among our greatest tracks and we went a number of laps down early as a result of we had a tire get minimize down as a result of we obtained door-slammed on like, lap seven. It’s simply stuff like that that’s type of gotten in our method this 12 months, however we got here again and nonetheless completed high 10 after going three laps down.”
Beneath a unique format, with three rounds of eliminations that arrange a four-driver shootout within the finale, Mayer completed third within the championship in 2023 with JR Motorsports.
JOLIET, ILLINOIS – JULY 04: Sam Mayer, driver of the #41 Audibel Hear Higher Join Higher Chevrolet, appears to be like on previous to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence Cuervo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 04, 2026 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photograph by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Pictures)
With slightly higher execution and a few good luck rather than unhealthy, given a greater understanding of gasoline mileage points the staff has had, Mayer stated, he could possibly be able to problem once more.
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“I believe the most important factor to take from that’s, we’ve discovered all these exhausting classes,” Mayer stated.
“Going into the second half of the 12 months into the Chase, we will take all these studying moments, and when the whole lot resets, you’re solely going to be, like, a race, race and a half behind the chief. For those who execute what it’s worthwhile to do and have some success, and the leaders have some misfortune, I imply, you can be proper within the championship hunt inside a few races.”
Parker Retzlaff is in search of his first win and first playoff berth
Sitting one spot forward of Mayer within the standings is 23-year-old Rhinelander native Parker Retzlaff, who has one other seven factors between himself and thirteenth place.
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Retzlaff, in his first season with second-year Viking Motorsports, has constantly sprung surprises with smaller groups by means of his profession. This 12 months he turned heads by ending a career-best second at EchoPark Speedway exterior Atlanta.
“I don’t know if everybody actually anticipated it simply due to how new the entire staff was and the whole lot, however I believe that for me and Danny [Efland, crew chief] and many of the staff, we have been type of on the identical web page of what we anticipated to do with what we got,” Retzlaff stated.
Retzlaff and the No. 99 Chevrolet staff have registered three top-five finishes and 9 top-10s. Whereas these numbers aren’t splashy, they’ve additionally been one of the crucial constant groups within the storage with simply three finishes exterior the highest 15.
After inserting sixteenth in factors in his first full season in 2023, Retzlaff has his first berth within the championship competitors in his sights.
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Though Viking is a younger group and lots of of its members are comparatively inexperienced, the staff is affiliated with long-established Richard Childress Racing and its automobiles got here from Kaulig Racing.
JOLIET, ILLINOIS – JULY 04: Parker Retzlaff, driver of the #99 FUNKAWAY Chevrolet, appears to be like on previous to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence Cuervo 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 04, 2026 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photograph by James Gilbert/Getty Pictures)
“I believe that there’s simply all the time little stuff we will construct on,” Retzlaff stated.
“I believe we simply must preserve doing what we’re doing now, however I believe we have to simply begin spending slightly bit extra time on sure issues, attempting to get some extra assist from among the store guys … put lots of effort in making automobiles the perfect we will [for] once we get to the Chase and realizing that we now have to convey the whole lot we will if we’re going to make a deep run.”
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The one stress Retzlaff is feeling because the Chase approaches is from himself. He needs to qualify after which contend, and he needs desperately to win a race.
“ what we’re racing towards, how new the staff is, the whole lot like that, I don’t suppose it’s a failure [to not win in 2026],” he stated. “I believe that there’s loads that the administration, possession, all my guys, everybody might be pleased with.
“However I believe that me personally, I need to win so unhealthy that will probably be a letdown that I’m going to have to attend one other 12 months.”
