Sam Mayer Captures Victory at Iowa

Sam Mayer celebrates his Hy-Vee Perks 250 victory at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo: Patrick Vallely | The Podium Finish)

NEWTON, Iowa — Sam Mayer capitalized in a NASCAR Overtime restart to capture the Hy-Vee Perks 250 victory over Riley Herbst at Iowa Speedway.

Starting from the fifth position, the Franklin, Wisconsin, native kept himself in the fight in Saturday’s race at the 0.875-mile track. However, in the early going, Chandler Smith, who started sixth, established himself as the early race favorite.

In the early going, Justin Allgaier, the fourth place starter, scooted past Austin Hill, leading the opening 14 laps. Smith got past Allgaier on Lap 15 before John Hunter Nemechek took the lead in the midst of pit stop cycles. Jeremy Clements led for seven laps before Smith led the way from Laps 49 to 156, sweeping the stages.

Meanwhile, Mayer lurked behind Smith, biding his time by finishing third in Stage 1 and second in Stage 2.

Problems befell race contenders like AJ Allmendinger in his Turn 4 accident on Lap 35, Kyle Weatherman, Blaine Perkins and Shane van Gisbergen‘s backstretch mess on Lap 88 and Jesse Love’s Turn 4 accident on Lap 151.

Perhaps the most frightening incident of Saturday’s race came on Lap 203 as Allgaier crashed hard into the Turn 4 wall when his left front tire cutdown. Allgaier clambered out of his wrecked machine, continuing his feast or famine season.

From Lap 169 onward, it became an intense battle for the win between Mayer and Herbst. Both raced each other relatively cleanly but with aggressive undertones.

Nemechek’s accident in Turn 4 on Lap 246 prompted the race’s only Overtime restart between Mayer and Herbst. On this occasion, Mayer would not be denied.

Sam Mayer and Riley Herbst prepare for the decisive Overtime restart in Saturday’s Hy-Vee Perks 250 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo: Patrick Vallely | The Podium Finish)

By 0.146 seconds, Mayer captured his second win of the season, besting Herbst and evidently feeling strong for another 100 laps.

“We struggled and this Roto-Rooter team went to work,” Mayer said to Kim Coon of NASCAR on NBC. “Obviously, we did pretty good (Friday night), making good decisions on this racecar.

“Huge thanks to everyone at the HMS (Hendrick Motorsports) engine shop, JRM, Rigid, Roto-Rooter, everybody on board this weekend. Man, I’m out of breath cause I was just huffing in a bunch of smoke. I feel really good. I could do another 100 laps, for sure, with a racecar like this, it’d be a lot of fun.”

Despite capturing a runner-up, Herbst felt that Mayer did not race him cleanly for the finish.

“I have mixed frustrations, for sure,” Herbst said. “I’m happy to be back on an oval. I mean, the last two weeks on a road course was utterly embarrassing. It was an unacceptable performance from my end and everybody on the 98, so I’m happy to be back on an oval. I felt like we had an up and down day. I mean, it was a clean restart. It was fun.

“I like racing Sam, but Stage 1 or 2 he just absolutely brooms me. We were racing clean for fourth and takes us back to 10th and then doors me down the back straightaway before the green-white-checker. It’s just frustrating the way he wants to do that, but, all in all, it was fun. I’m happy to be back on ovals. The speed is back in the 98.”

Corey Heim rounded out the podium finishers, an impressive feat for the young racer who has made his presence known as a formidable NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competitor for TRICON Garage.

“It’s just so slick,” Heim said. “Yeah, everyone anticipated this place to have a lot of grip and to race close without any issue, but, it did have a lot of grip but was super edgy and easy to slip a tire. Really surprised the leaders didn’t run into each other at the end.

“That was kind of what I was waiting on. I could’ve, in hindsight, been more aggressive to push the issue, but thought they were going to take care of that themselves. Sure enough, that didn’t happen.”

The key to Mayer’s victory was keeping up with the racetrack and tire management. When Mayer’s crew chief Mardy Lindley gave him the green light, the rest was left in the Wisconsinite’s hands to get the job done and that he did.

Sam Mayer did the Superman salute to the Iowa Speedway faithful following his win in the Hy-Vee Perks 250 in Newton, Iowa, on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo: Patrick Vallely | The Podium Finish)

“Yea, we definitely got a little bit tight there at the end at the second stage,” Mayer said. “So, I was a little concerned there. Mardy said the tires all looked good, so we took care of it and we did our job. And now we get to celebrate.”

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Chandler Smith
2. Sheldon Creed
3. Sam Mayer
4. Justin Allgaier
5. Sammy Smith
6. Cole Custer
7. Brett Moffitt (i)
8. Corey Heim (i)
9. John Hunter Nemecheck (i)
10. Jesse Love (R)

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Chandler Smith
2. Sam Mayer
3. Ross Chastain (i)
4. Corey Heim (i)
5. Sammy Smith
6. Sheldon Creed
7. Justin Allgaier
8. Riley Herbst
9. Cole Custer
10. Austin Hill

Hy-Vee Perks 250 at Iowa Speedway Race Results