Making the trip to Miami, Florida, Kyle Larson hoped to rewrite the history books and join a list that only includes Kyle Busch. Eyeing a clean sweep of the weekend, Larson entered all three NASCAR series at Homestead and started strong by winning the Truck Series race.
Next up was the Xfinity Series event, where Larson held a big lead over second-place runner Sam Mayer when a late caution flipped the race. Still in second, Mayer got into Larson’s rear bumper on the restart, giving him a hard push and throwing off his momentum.
Fans weren’t happy with Mayer’s aggressive move and ripped into the Haas Factory Team driver for costing Larson the win.
NASCAR Fans Blast Sam Mayer for His Lunge on Kyle Larson
From pushing Parker Retzlaff during the 2024 playoff race in Martinsville to crashing with Taylor Gray at Atlanta Motor Speedway — sending his car up in flames — Mayer has built a reputation for on-track drama. The No. 41 driver added another chapter at Homestead-Miami Speedway, running behind Larson in the final laps.
As Larson’s car went sideways after Mayer’s bump, Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier slipped by alongside Mayer. The incident made it impossible for Larson to reclaim the lead, and he ended up settling for a frustrating fourth-place finish.
Fans weren’t shy about their frustration with Mayer, especially considering what was at stake for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver. On X, they unloaded on the Haas driver. One fan even called Mayer an “idiot” on the track.
Mayer proves he's still an idiot
— James Bean (@be19651966)
With Allgaier running 20 seconds behind Larson before the caution, some fans called Mayer a “weapon” throughout the race. Another fan said they could sense something coming from the 41 car as soon as the yellow flag flew.
I knew the 41 was going to screw that up for him the second the caution came out
— Leo Obrien (@obrien15stripes)
Rarely one to apologize for his aggressive style, Mayer owned up to his mistake in Miami, saying he mistimed the move. With Larson going late on the restart, Mayer got too close to his bumper, and contact was unavoidable.
Mayer later explained that he wasn’t willing to wait for Larson and was “giddy to get going,” which led to the contact.
Speaking after the race, Larson said he’s dealt with similar situations before. It was another “bummer” for the HMS driver, who had nowhere to go with his rear tires off the ground.
While there was some frustration in Larson’s voice, he’ll get another shot at a clean sweep in a couple of weeks. He’s set to run the Truck Series with Spire Motorsports and the Xfinity and Cup Series with HMS at Bristol Motor Speedway– the same track where Busch completed his two clean sweeps.