Sam Mayer earned his first career Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway Thursday evening.
Mayer passed his GMS Racing teammate Brett Moffitt with 30 to go to win the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics. The 17-year-old won in his seventh series start, becoming the second youngest winner in series history behind Cole Custer.
“Oh, my gosh! Dude, I love this place. This is win No. 3 for me here,” Mayer said, “Man, I don’t know what to say. I can’t thank all the guys at the shop enough. They worked their tails off. We fired off so good. We only made one track bar adjustment all day. Oh, my God, that feels so good.”
The win comes just two days after Mayer signed a multi-year deal with JR Motorsports. The Wisconsin native will drive with the organization’s Xfinity Series program in the second half of 2021, as he does not turn 18 until next June, and full-time in 2022.
Moffitt held onto second after leading 117 of 200 laps, while Tanner Gray and Parker Kligerman finished third and fourth, respectively.
Chandler Smith rounded out the top-five finishers after Trevor Bayne’s No. 45 Chevrolet failed post-race inspection. He was listed in 36th place after failing heights.
Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Ross Chastain Johnny Sauter, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top 10.
Sheldon Creed finished right outside the top 10 after recovering from a pit-road speeding penalty.
A Look Ahead Into The Playoffs
The Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Friday, September 25th.
Austin Hill dropped to eighth in the standings after a 25th place finish at Bristol. The Hattori Racing Enterprises driver sustained damage early during Thursday’s event.
Two races remain in the series first round of the Playoffs. Christian Eckes and Todd Gilliland sit below the cutoff line. They finished 12th and 14th, respectively at the half-mile track.
Travis Pastrana and IndyCar driver Conor Daly are teaming up with Niece Motorsports, with backing from iRacing at Las Vegas. Pastrana will be making his second start this season, while Daly makes his series debut.
Daly previously made his NASCAR debut during the Xfinity Series race at Road America in 2018. He finished 31st after suspension issues.
Also notable is the series name change for the 2021 season. Don’t fret though, the series gets a familiar name with the return of Camping World.
“We leveraged the series to support the successful launch of our new brand in 2019, and look forward to celebrating the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion in November.” said Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World, “The next generation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is right around the corner and we’re committed to the series that has delivered for our customers, fans and the entire Camping World family of brands.”
Don’t miss the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series stars at Las Vegas on September 25, 2020