Sam Mayer’s run in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase has gained significant momentum recently. After starting 35th at Phoenix following an engine change, the Haas Factory Team driver fought his way to second, finishing just 0.128 seconds behind Jesse Love.
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While the championship is still within reach, Mayer is anxious about one race: Martinsville.
“I’m honestly not excited to go there because it seems like I cause issues every time I show up there,” Mayer admitted in an interaction with Frontstretch on X. “I’m trying to be a better person now. I’ve learned two lessons the hard way, and I’m hopefully being better in the future.”
Mayer’s concern stems from his own history of incidents at the track, not external conditions. The 23-year-old has had his share of contentious moments at the short track, and his latest comments suggest he is aware of the consequences of his actions.
In 2022, he was involved in a fight with Ty Gibbs athere. More recently, in October 2025, he wrecked Jeb Burton after the checkered flag, an incident that led NASCAR to suspend him for the Phoenix finale. According to an On3 report, it was the first post-race retaliation suspension since Jimmy Spencer in 2003.
Mayer’s pattern of on-track incidents at Martinsville has frequently drawn criticism from competitors and observers.
His admission carries added significance given Mayer’s earlier frustration with the field. After finishing 24th at Charlotte following contact with Jeremy Clements, he criticised drivers in the series and blamed those involved in late-race incidents.
His Phoenix comments offered a different tone. Mayer acknowledged that his own history at Martinsville has become a source of concern. Despite those worries, he remains in contention for the championship. He sits sixth in the Chase standings, 86 points behind Love, with Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead still to come.
The Phoenix result could have been even more valuable. Mayer pointed out that winning the race would have produced a 30-point swing, which makes the narrow defeat especially difficult to forget.
“That was a pretty championship-implicated race there at the end,” Mayer said. “I’m definitely going to be thinking about that one for a little while, but I’m still just really happy to be here, having a good time, and we’re still in it. You never know.”
Still, the result extended a strong Chase stretch for the Haas Factory Team. He said the team had finished in the top 10 in every Chase race except Charlotte, where he felt it deserved a top-10 finish. That consistency has helped turn around a season that looked far less promising earlier in the year.
By late April, Mayer’s average finish stood at 19.2, putting him on pace for the worst full season of his career, his first since Haas switched to Chevrolet. He then secured a Chase spot at Daytona and recorded a fifth Top-10 Finish of the O’Reilly Series Chase, culminating in his runner-up finish at Phoenix.
Mayer is unsure about his prospects at Martinsville, but he sounded considerably more confident about Homestead, where the series will race after the short-track stop.
“I feel like we could have won Talladega in the spring if everything goes our way and we don’t get turned,” he said, before admitting he had no idea what to expect at Martinsville.
Homestead, however, is a different story.
Mayer recalled his previous visit to the track, roughly 18 months earlier. Back then, he believed his car was the strongest contender behind Kyle Larson’s. That comparison prompted a generous assessment of the current Cup Series Chase leader.
“And if you’re second to Kyle Larson, you’re first in your own class, because Kyle Larson’s in his own class,” Mayer said.
Mayer and Larson battled at Homestead in March 2025, when Larson led 132 laps. On the final restart, Mayer made contact with Larson’s rear, sending the No. 5 out of shape. Larson ultimately finished fourth.
The two have also met in the O’Reilly Series this year, when Larson won at Las Vegas for JR Motorsports in March. Mayer does not expect Larson to compete at Homestead, which gives him some optimism about his own chances.
“I think we can go out there and win that one,” he said.
For now, Mayer’s primary objective is to get through Martinsville. With three races remaining and a championship deficit to overcome, he cannot afford to let the short track derail his momentum. He understands that speed alone won’t be enough. He also wants (and needs) to avoid becoming part of the chaos which he expects at his visits to the track.
Martinsville will give Mayer an immediate opportunity to show whether those hard lessons have changed his approach. If he can leave the track without another controversy, he will have taken an important step toward keeping his championship hopes alive.