Sam Mayer needs a little luck on his side at Talladega to keep his Playoff hopes alive! (Photo Credit: Talladega Superspeedway | X)

Lucky 13 rides along with the driver who qualifies 13th, keeping an eye on how their race unfolds. This driver could be sent to the back of the pack and still pull off a victory, or their luck could take a nosedive early in the race. With luck on their side – or against them – anything can happen! So, grab your four-leaf clovers, your lucky horseshoes, and maybe even a rabbit’s foot for the latest Lucky 13! Will it be fortune or misfortune? Let’s find out!

United Rentals 250

Driver: Sam Mayer
Organization & Number: Haas Factory Team, #41
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Spotter: Tyler Green

Sam Mayer entered Talladega Superspeedway eight points above the cutline in fourth place. He looked to keep his Playoff dreams alive with a solid run at the 2.66-mile track.

Stage 1

Throughout the opening lap, the front of the field was a tight, two-by-two pack. But by the close of Lap 2, Sam Mayer found himself bottom of three.

Despite being in tight quarters, he maintained P13 until he jumped to P10 on Lap 3. Immediately, he was back to P13 as lanes surged.

From there, Mayer surged between P20 and P16 until he found himself sinking to P24 on Lap 7.

At the mid-way point of the stage, Mayer was reminded, “Stage points if we can get them.” The field went to three-wide from row three on back, which allowed Mayer to reclaim some ground.

Lap 16 brought out the first caution. Unfortunately for the No. 41 team, Mayer was collected. Spotter Tyler Green noted, “Heavy right front damage.”

Mayer was running P18 at the time and noted, “The right front is caved in. We might be done here.”

He came to his team, and they immediately went to work trying to beat the clock.

Yellow to Red

Ultimately, the incident brought out the red flag as the wall needed repairs.

While the No. 41 team was unable to work on the car under red, they eyeballed the situation and came up with a plan.

Once the red lifted, the team attempted to beat the clock with repairs. Once he returned to the track, Mayer noted some needed adjustments. However, he needed to meet the minimum speed to reset the clock.

(Photo Credit: Jane Waldrop | Pit Pass Network)

Before the race resumed, Jason Trinchere told his driver that the team had taken too long on repairs. Therefore, despite the hard work, Mayer was forced to head to the garage.

(Photo Credit: Haas Factory Team | X)

A DNF on the day was not what the No. 41 team needed. They look to rebound at Martinsville in order to fight for a championship.

NASCAR fans know sponsors make the sport go ’round. We want to give a shout-out to AUDIBEL. They played a huge part in the weekend for the No. 41 team.

Be sure to give Sam Mayer (Facebook, Instagram, X) and Haas Factory Team (Facebook, Instagram, X) a follow to keep up with the latest news from the driver and team.