CONCORD, N.C. — As Sam Mayer celebrated his drama-filled victory in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Parker Kligerman watched a replay of the whisker-close circumstance that knocked him out of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
In overtime, Mayer passed Kligerman in Turn Seven of the 2.280-mile, 17-turn circuit and pulled away to claim the victory that propelled him into the playoffs’ round of 8.
But Mayer’s win was devastation for Kligerman, who has never won an Xfinity Series race. Kligerman was leading, with the white flag waving, when NASCAR called a caution for Leland Honeyman’s spin into the barrier in Turn Three.
Had the caution call come a fraction of a second later, Kligerman would have been the winner under yellow. The overtime, however, gave Mayer another shot in his No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet — arguably the class of the field — and the 21-year-old from Franklin, Wis., took full advantage.
“We were all crossed up getting up in there (Turn Seven),” Mayer said of the winning pass. “I was loose getting into (Turn) Six, and I knew that was my only shot, if I got a good angle into that corner.
“He blocked the bottom, which was good for me in that it gave me a better angle up off the corner and got this Chevrolet hooked up, and we were gone from there. Now I get to celebrate.”
Both Mayer and Kligerman needed to win to advance in the playoffs, but it was Mayer who got his third win of the season, his second straight at the ROVAL and the seventh of his career, beating runner-up A.J. Allmendinger to the finish line by 1.474 seconds.
He joins JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith and Justin Allgaier in the round of 8, along with Chandler Smith (fifth), Austin Hill (fourth), defending series champion Cole Custer (13th), Allmendinger and Jesse Love (19th), who earned the final transfer spot by two points over Saturday’s pole winner and third-place finisher Shane van Gisbergen.
Kligerman left Charlotte 12th in the standings, a distant 24 points shy of the round of 8 after fading to sixth on the final lap.
“I’ve done this interview from that side,” said Kligerman, who has combined careers of broadcasting and racing — and who will retire from full-time competition at the end of the season. “It’s really tough from this side.
“I teared up when I thought we got it there at the white flag, then the caution comes out, and we had to re-focus … I thought I cut off Turn Seven enough, but he (Mayer) somehow got below me, and then it was on from there.
“It was full contact. Sam didn’t do anything egregious. It was hard racing, but as close as you could be to the line. Now I want to cry — I’m not going to cry, but I really love this game, and it would’ve meant the world.”
For Mayer, it was no cakewalk. On lap 3, he served a pass-through penalty for jumping the start from the second grid position, and in the late going, Mayer had a problem getting into third gear through the first two corners on the NASCAR oval.
He persevered, as did Allgaier, who finished seventh after finishing third in Stage One and winning Stage Two — his 15th stage win of the season.
Exiting the playoffs with Kligerman and Van Gisbergen were Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed, victims of a pileup in Turn 17 on lap 34. Herbst finished 32nd and Creed 35th.