BRISTOL, Tenn. – Sam Mayer’s first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win of the season was a relatively-easy afternoon drive at Bristol Motor Speedway back in April.
His win in Thursday night’s Bush’s Beans 150 – completing a season-sweep at the high-banked, concrete half-mile – was anything but.
After making contact with polesitter Chase Cabre on the opening lap that sent Cabre spinning into the outside wall in turn three, Mayer was sent to the tail of the field for rough driving and had to battle back all race long after that.
But Mayer stayed patient, tried and true, and methodically worked his way forward again and back into contention through the first two 50-lap stages in the 150-lap event. By the time the green flag waved with 44 to go, Mayer was third and pressuring for more as Spencer Davis showed the way out front.
Mayer was shuffled out by Ty Gibbs two laps after the restart, dropping back to third before settling in and preparing a final assault. He re-passed Gibbs for second with 25 to go, then quickly latched on to Davis’ rear bumper as he plotted a race-winning maneuver.
That maneuver turned out to be the traditional Bristol “bump-and-run,” and it came with 13 to go when Mayer shoved Davis up the race track and out of the traction compound in turn three.
From there, Davis fell back through the running order, while Mayer went on to his second Bristol victory.
“As far as the first lap, I tried to get in there to move him (Cabre) out of the way, but I just got in there too hard,” Mayer noted, referencing his contact with the polesitter on the first lap of the race. “I feel like he deserved it for how he’s raced me this year, but I didn’t want to do it like that.
“From there, we just kept fighting all day long,” Mayer added. “There’s always that little bit of doubt in your mind that you won’t be able to come back through and get it done, but I felt pretty confident in my race car. … With the aero and all that, I couldn’t get by the 30 (Davis) to save my life until he made a mistake going into (turn) three. It definitely paid off that we were there to capitalize and pass him.”
The 16-year-old Wisconsinite will make his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut under the lights in the UNOH 200, starting 18th in the No. 21 Manpower Chevrolet.
“I’m ecstatic with this win and finishing the sweep here at Bristol,” said Mayer. “It’s really special to go two for two, but hopefully we might even have a chance to go three for three later on tonight.”
Gibbs chased Mayer home in the closing laps, but had nothing for Mayer’s GMS Racing-prepared No. 21 Chevrolet and crossed the line 1.778 seconds back in his DGR-Crosley-built No. 17 Toyota.
Ruben Garcia Jr. finished third, followed by Mason Diaz. Davis faded to fifth at the checkered flag.
“We just weren’t as good as the 21 (Mayer),” said Davis. “He stayed turning longer than we did; we were just a little bit tight. We were better than the 17 (Gibbs) and the 24 (Diaz), but Sam’s been on rails all year long. … You expect that kind of a move from him, and you expect it at Bristol. That’s what this place is famous for, when it gets down to the end.
“He did what he had to do. Heck, I probably would have done the same thing. It’s just bittersweet.”
Cabre struggled for the rest of the day after his run-in with Mayer and was scored eighth in the final rundown. He was helped from his car by medics after the race, placed on a stretcher after complaining of back pain and later transported from the infield care center to a local hospital for observation.
The finish:
Sam Mayer, Ty Gibbs, Ruben Garcia Jr., Mason Diaz, Spencer Davis, Tanner Gray, Max McLaughlin, Chase Cabre, Hailie Deegan, Joe Graf Jr., Brandon McReynolds, Jett Noland, Austin Reed, Justin Carroll, Colin Garrett, Chuck Buchanan Jr.