Sam Mayer will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for his second full-time season in 2023, with JR Motorsports announcing on Tuesday that the 19-year-old prospect will continue to pilot the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro.
The 19-year-old, who debuted in the Xfinity Series in the middle of last season, is currently 21 races into his first full-time campaign in NASCAR’s top-three series, sitting ninth-place in points, with a healthy margin over the playoff cutline.
Despite several instances of misfortune, Mayer has been able to record eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in the series this season, including three finishes of third-place at Richmond, Texas, and Charlotte, a career-high.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth and maturity from Sam on and off the racetrack,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JRM general manager. “He is consistently running up front, is fast each and every week and provides great visibility for his partners. With all the situational knowledge he’s gained this year, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do to finish out 2022 and into ’23.”
Mayer is a back-to-back champion of the ARCA Menards Series East, becoming the youngest champion in any NASCAR-sanctioned series at the age of 16 years, three months, and eight days.
“It’s a good feeling to get this squared away,” said Mayer, a native of Franklin, Wis. “Now we can focus on locking ourselves into the playoffs and getting that first Xfinity win. JR Motorsports has been a great place for me all the way back to my late model days. We’re expecting big things for this No. 1 team for the remainder of this year and beyond.”
