Sam Mayer isn’t backing down from the controversy surrounding his late-race incident with Kyle Larson at Homestead-Miami last weekend.
With many fans and analysts questioning whether Mayer cost Larson a historic weekend, the JR Motorsports driver has finally spoken up, making it clear what he thought had happened.
Kyle Larson’s Almost Perfect Weekend?
Larson started his weekend at Homestead-Miami intending to pull off the rare NASCAR triple sweep. That means winning all three races in a single weekend: the Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series.
He was already two-thirds of the way there, bagging wins in both the Truck and Cup races. The only thing standing in his way was the Xfinity Series race.
For most of that race, it looked like Larson had it in the bag. He dominated the field, pulling an astonishing 16-second lead over second-place Mayer. But just when things seemed to be going perfectly for Larson, Taylor Gray spun out, bringing out a caution with only a handful of laps left. Suddenly, that massive lead disappeared, and it was a dash to the finish line.
On the restart, Larson took the inside lane, Mayer tucked in right behind him, and Austin Hill lined up on the outside with Justin Allgaier behind him. As the cars roared into Turn 1, Mayer’s front end made slight contact with Larson’s rear bumper.
That small nudge threw Larson off, while Allgaier took full advantage and raced first to the chequered flag. Larson, after dominating the entire race, had to settle for a P4.
Sam Mayer Speaks Out, While Kyle Larson Sets His Eyes on Bristol
Larson was clearly frustrated after the race and did not hide his disappointment. Fans, of course, were quick to take sides—some defending Mayer, while others blamed him for robbing Larson of a legendary weekend.
Now, Mayer has finally spoken about the incident in an interview with Stephen Stumpf. “I mean, we kind of both know what each other was thinking. We never got the chance to sit down and talk or anything like that. But, I mean, it’s just part of racing.
“I mean, I disagree with, obviously, how it went down, but unfortunately for both of us, that’s just part of racing,” he stated, insisting that the move was just hard racing and not an intentional attempt to mess up Larson’s race.
As for Larson, he isn’t dwelling on this incident anymore. Instead, he’s already looking ahead to Bristol, where he’ll take another shot at a weekend sweep. And just like last year, Larson would be hoping to dominate the circuit at Bristol. He led 462 of 500 laps there last season and cruised to victory.
One thing’s for sure—this rivalry isn’t over just yet. And with Martinsville up next, things could get even more interesting.