JR Motorsports to appeal Sam Mayer disqualification at Talladega

Due to not meeting the ride height requirement after Talladega, Sam Mayer was disqualified from the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. For the JR Motorsports driver, it is a huge hit to his chances of advancing in the playoffs.

JR Motorsports plans to appeal the decision. They are hoping that they will be able to get those points back for Sam Mayer. Without them, he is in a must-win situation at the Roval. A race he won last year.

The disqualification changed the playoff picture majorly. Drivers below the cutline moved up by 10 to 11 points from where they were prior to the DQ. For someone like Shane van Gisbergen that means he only has to make up 10 points instead of 20.

This appeal will likely be expedited since it has such a huge bearing on the Xfinity Series Playoffs.

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— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) October 7, 2024

Sam Mayer lost all of his points from Talladega. He went from being the last one in on points to the Round of 8 to 11th overall and 13 points below the cutline. It is not a position that any driver wants to be put in.

The good news, we will likely hear a decision soon. Given what the penalty was, a failed postrace inspection, I’m not sure there is much hope for JR Motorsports to win the appeal. When it comes to the playoffs, you have to try everything.

JR Motorsports hoping to give Sam Mayer a break

So, I think at this point in the year, we have to talk about Sam Mayer. Last year he came onto the scene, winning four races in total. He made a strong push to the championship, but four DNFs in the final eight races did not help.

Those same DNF issues have popped up again in 2024. Seven DNFs on the year AND a disqualification. To make matters worse, Mayer has not had a top-5 result since he won at Iowa all the way back in June.

So, for the last four months, Mayer has only managed a best finish of P9, at Bristol. At least last season, we knew that he could win a race at any moment. Even with the DNFs. He went to the Roval and won the pole and the race. It was a fantastic performance.

This year, that postseason clutch gene has not reappeared. To make matters worse, the Roval will only be harder to win this season. Both Shane van Gisbergen and Aric Almirola are in the race, as well as AJ Allmendinger. It will take a Herculean effort to win and advance to the Round of 8.