Sam Mayer's opportunity for first win of 2026 slips away at Pocono

NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Sam Mayer. Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Sam Mayer's opportunity for first win of 2026 slips away at Pocono

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jun 13, 2026 7:40 PM ET

What has been a topsy-turvy 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season for Sam Mayer and the No. 41 Haas team looked like it was going to get a whole lot better Saturday at Pocono Raceway.

In the 17th race of the season, Mayer appeared to have the best car in the field over the race's final run, holding the top spot over Justin Allgaier after the final round of green flag pit stops.

On the final two restarts of the afternoon, however, it was Allgaier who had the upper hand. He beat Mayer on the first restart with eight laps to go by driving deep into turn 1 to clear the No. 41.

Late restart dooms Sam Mayer

One final yellow gave Mayer one more chance to beat Allgaier and score his first victory of the season, but it was a Haas Factory Team teammate in Sheldon Creed who spoiled things for Mayer. Rather than pushing Mayer into turn 1, Creed took a run for himself and made it three-wide for the lead.

The winning restart! @J_Allgaier takes the lead on the final restart to secure his fifth win of the season. pic.twitter.com/mpWHVjMZLg
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) June 13, 2026

But the move didn't work, as Creed and Mayer both went slightly backwards as Allgaier, who had received a strong push from his JR Motorsports teammate in William Byron, had enough momentum to snag the lead and hold onto it for the final two laps.

"It was either the No. 00 was trying to make a block or [a] push gone wrong," Mayer told CW Sports regarding the final restart. "Once he was out of line I couldn't react to that. Just [a] really unfortunate circumstance. Just kind of a little stack up. At the end of these races, you're not going to not take a run. I don't blame a teammate for pulling out of line like that. Obviously put me in a bad spot."

While Saturday wasn't victorious, it was at least a good points day for Mayer, who rose to ninth in the series standings, 30 points above the Chase cut line with seven races left in the regular season.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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