The NASCAR Xfinity Series United Rentals 250 had a surprising ending. While Sammy Smith celebrated a solid victory at Talladega Superspeedway, after an exhilarating pass on the final lap, the conclusion of the race was overshadowed by the disqualification of his compatriot Sam Mayer.
Smith, driving the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, earned his first victory of the 2024 season in a thrilling overtime race. The victory, his second career victory in 76 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, secured his advancement to the round of 16 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs.
Despite Smith’s celebrations, it was Mayer’s disqualification that captured the attention. Mayer’s No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro was found to be too low in the rear during post-race inspection, leading to its withdrawal from the results. Additionally, Chandler Smith, driving the No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra, received a penalty for a loose lug nut, resulting in a fine for his crew chief.
The official rankings, confirmed after inspection, now place Ryan Sieg in second position, followed by Riley Herbst in third, with Sheldon Creed and Chandler Smith completing the top five.
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This comes after Mayer signed with the Haas Factory Xfinity Series team for the 2025 season, meaning his time with JR Motorsports and Chevrolet will end this season. Commenting on the new contract at the time, Mayer explained, as quoted by NBC Sports:
“It’s really important to continue my development as a racing driver and Haas Factory provides that for me on and off the track. I think they’re going to do a really good job of setting the table for me to go out there. ” and perform and dominate.
NASCAR Xfinity Series: United Rentals 250 race results
- Sammy Smith – Running
- Ryan Sieg – Running
- Riley Herbst – Running
- Sheldon Creed – Running
- Chandler Smith – Running
- Jesse Love – Running
- Jeb Burton – Running
- David Starr – Running
- Brennan Poole – Running
- Kyle Sieg – Running
- AJ Allmendinger – Running
- Parker Kligerman – Running
- Tommy Joe Martins – Running
- Leland Honeyman – Running
- Ryan Ellis – Running
- Matt DiBenedetto – Running
- CJ McLaughlin – Running
- Blaine Perkins – Running
- Aric Almirola – Running
- Dean Thompson – Running
- Joey Gase – Running
- Carson Ware – Running
- Austin Hill – Running
- Dylan Lupton – Running
- Justin Allgaier – Running
- Cole Custer – Running
- Carson Kvapil – Accident
- Brandon Jones – Accident
- Anthony Alfredo – Accident
- Parker Retzlaff – Accident
- Kyle Weatherman – Running
- Taylor Gray – Accident
- Jordan Anderson-Accident
- Josh Williams-Accident
- Shane Van Gisbergen-Accident
- Jeremy Clements – Brakes
- Nick Leitz – Accident
- Sam Mayer – Running (Disqualified)
