The second caution of Saturday’s Henry 180 featured a brutal impact from one of the Xfinity Series’ newest drivers.
Sam Mayer, making his second Xfinity Series start of 2021 with JR Motorsports, suffered massive front-end damage entering Turn 12 on Lap 14.
An onboard camera from Justin Haley revealed that Mayer tried to move left on track heading into Turn 12, but was not clear of Kaulig Racing’s Jeb Burton.
A big hit for Sam Mayer, making just his second @NASCAR_Xfinity Series start.
Take a look at what happened at @RoadAmerica. TV: @NBC #NBCRacingWeekend pic.twitter.com/S7t5N3B3Zp
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 3, 2021
The contact sent Mayer head-on into the outside wall, before rolling and coming to rest in Turn 12. Mayer was able to get out of the car under his own power.
Later video revealed that the No. 90 of Preston Pardus was also involved after some brief contact with Mayer following the initial impact.
The Wisconsin driver made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Pocono last week for JR Motorsports, driving home the No. 8 Camaro to an 18th place finish.
The wreck marks his first DNF of his Xfinity Series career, and the fifth for the No. 8 team in 2021.