Sam Mayer earns a spot in NASCAR Xfinity series championship with a win at Homestead

Updated Oct. 21, 2023 6:54 p.m. ET

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HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Sam Mayer became the first driver to claim a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity series championship with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday.

Mayer, driver of the No. 1 for JR Motorsports, was ranked sixth in the playoff field entering the race. He held off second-place finisher Riley Herbst in the final laps to earn his fourth win in his last 12 races.

Next weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway will determine the final three drivers for the championship, which will take place at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4.

“We won on an oval!” the 20-year-old Mayer exclaimed just after his win — the first of his career on an oval. “It's all about putting a full race together, and I'm so proud of these guys. They kicked tail on pit road, and we made it happen."

Mayer admitted that his confidence wavered entering Saturday’s race, having not had luck on an oval before.

“Our Huck's Camaro was really fast today. It's been real fast the last couple of weeks, primarily on road courses,” said Mayer, who recently earned a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway that saved his season. "So getting that first oval win is really big. That was my biggest roadblock coming into the last little bit of this playoffs. It's like, 'We have no more road courses, so it's less confidence.'

“But we finally won on an oval and my confidence finally is broken through, and it feels really good.”

Mayer led 46 of 200 laps Saturday and bested several other playoff drivers who had issues with their cars.

Stewart-Haas Racing's Cole Custer dominated the early stages, leading for 114 laps before he blew his right front tire with 49 laps left and was penalized for having too many crew members over the wall during his stop.

Custer finished 13th and is third in the playoff field, tied with Austin Hill at three points above the cutline. Joe Gibbs Racing's John Hunter Nemechek finished third Saturday and has a 44-point cushion.

“Overall solid day,” Nemechek said. “We're still in a really good points spot going into Martinsville, so just have to go execute. Had a solid points day today, and that's all you can ask for. It doesn't matter how you get to Phoenix, as long as you get there.”

Justin Allgaier held a brief lead, but had to stop because of a loose tire. He finished 15th.

Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed all sit below the cutline heading into next weekend's race at Martinsville.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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