Sam Mayer cruised to his second straight Xfinity Series win at Iowa Speedway after a late restart.
NEWTON — For Sam Mayer, Iowa is twice as nice.
Mayer, 22, of Franklin, Wisconsin, held off Reiley Herbst in overtime in the June 2024 Hy-Vee Perks 250 at the Iowa Speedway. On Saturday Aug. 2, Mayer cruised to his second-straight win in the Xfinity Series race after a late restart.
During a news conference afterward Mayer caressed the winner's trophy in his left hand, the Hy-Vee logo on it bobbing as he held a microphone with his right hand.
Mayer won his first race at Iowa Speedway in July 2019 when he won an ARCA Menards Series race. He raced here for the first time when he was 16 years old. At the time "ripping laps around Iowa" was one of the fastest tracks on the ARCA schedule.
Even after a partial repaving in 2024, Iowa Speedway still has charachter, he said.
"This place is super special," said Mayer, who drives for the Haas Factory Team. "When you show up to a place you love and enjoy you just run better automatically."
The win was Mayer's first of the season and clinched a spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs. On the final restart he was able to be aggressive, he said.
"The fire-off speed we had today was the best of all the cars I think," Mayer said. "I could be aggressive on restarts. Really aggressive gaining that track position. Having new tires at the end, and the short-lap stints, I was able to get through there."
Iowans come up short in Xfinity Series' Hy-Vee Perks 250
Johnston native Sammy Smith raced in a car sponsored by Des Moines-based TMC Transportation. Before the race more than a dozen friends and family members in Sammy Smith apparel stood next to his car. Nearby were TMC Transportation employees, who have longed sponsored Smith, decked out it gold, black and white apparel, which matched Smith's car.
Smith qualified No. 35 out of 38, but worked his way up to the top five when he did not pit like the leaders at the end of stage 2. On Lap 184 Smith pitted from fourth place after almost running out of fuel. Smith finshed No. 15.
Cedar Rapids native Joey Gase, who will also run in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race with a "King of the Hill" themed car, started No. 33 and finished No. 27.
Connor Zillisch, 19, of Charlotte, North Carolina, finished No. 4 after winning the last three Xfinity Series races. Zillisch said he did not have a car good enough to win Saturday and was happy finishing fourth. A loose wheel at the end of stage one which forced him to pit again to tighten it set him back, he said.
"Once we got back up front and got clean air, we were fast," Zillisch said. "It just took too long to get up there ...Fourth is a solid day."
Zillisch is anticpated to take the Trackhouse Racing seat in the Cup Series currently occupied by Daniel Suarez. Zillisch also raced at Iowa Speedway in an ARCA Menards Series race in 2024 when he beat William Sawalich in a tight battle.
"It's a very racy track. The pavemement is getting old quickly, losing grip on the bottom of the race track," Zillisch said. "So it's going to be interesting to see how the track ages, and what changes as the years go on.
Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and motorsports for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Sam Mayer wins second straight NASCAR Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway
Category: General Sports
