The Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen on August 19th, 2023 came down to two Overtime finishes – and a bump-and-run move for the lead on the final restart that ultimately decided the race. Sam Mayer, driver of the No. 1 NASCAR Chevy Camaro, wasn’t the dominant force on the road course that day, but he certainly made himself known on the way to the checkered flag.
Mayer’s No. 1 Camaro made heavy contact with race leader Ty Gibbs in the No. 19 Toyota TRD Supra on the last restart, causing him to spin out and collect several other cars as he shot through the pack. Mayer was able to gallop away from the melee, pulling the No. 2 Camaro of Sheldon Creed along behind him as he crossed the finish line.
“On that first one, I got used up, thought I had a good one there,” Mayer explained of the first of two Overtime attempts. “All glory to God for this one because we had to work our tails off for it.”
As for striking the back of Gibbs’ No. 19 Supra, Mayer deflected any ill intent.
“I wheel-hopped it, that’s unfortunate and I feel bad for doing that, obviously you don’t want to take out any car like that,” Mayer said. “Just trying to get another win in the Xfinity Series. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. I was in there, I put my nose in there and that’s part of it.”
He added, referencing Gibb’s status as a fulltime Cup Series driver and part-time Xfinity Series competitor, “That’s an accident, but I think everyone can agree it’s okay for an Xfinity Series regular to win this race.”
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 1 | Sam Mayer | Accelerate Pros Talent Chevrolet | 86 | 8 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 2 | 13 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Whelen Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 3 | 14 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Spiked Light Coolers Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 4 | 17 | 91 | Ross Chastain(i) | Protect Your Melon #BUCKLEUPNY Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 5 | 19 | 24 | Connor Mosack | Toyota Genuine Parts Toyota | 86 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 6 | 12 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Mobil 1 Toyota | 86 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 7 | 4 | 00 | Cole Custer | HighPoint Ford | 86 | 1 | Ford Mustang |
| 8 | 18 | 16 | Chandler Smith # | Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 9 | 2 | 17 | Alex Bowman(i) | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 86 | 4 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 10 | 25 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Honoring All First Responders Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 11 | 24 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards/MagickWoods Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | 32 | 6 | Brennan Poole | TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 13 | 33 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet | 86 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 14 | 11 | 21 | Austin Hill | Bennett Transportation Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 15 | 21 | 45 | Sage Karam | Rich Mar/Lakewood Vineyards Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 16 | 3 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | BRANDT Chevrolet | 86 | 1 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 17 | 1 | 19 | Ty Gibbs(i) | He Gets Us Toyota | 86 | 70 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 18 | 9 | 18 | Sammy Smith # | Pilot Flying J Toyota | 86 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 19 | 37 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | SFWW/LOTZE Ford | 86 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 7 | 8 | Josh Berry | Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 21 | 26 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Ford | 86 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 22 | 36 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | G-coin Ford | 85 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 23 | 6 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Cirkul Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 24 | 22 | 8 | Alex Labbe | Refology Chevrolet | 83 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 25 | 28 | 7 | Josh Bilicki | Burdicks All Season Roofing Ford | 83 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 26 | 29 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff # | Funkaway Chevrolet | 82 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 27 | 8 | 10 | Kyle Busch(i) | LA Golf Chevrolet | 78 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | 15 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Island Coastal Lager Toyota | 78 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 29 | 20 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Technical Solutions Ford | 66 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 30 | 35 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Costa Oil Chevrolet | 65 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 31 | 27 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | BOTTICELLI Chevrolet | 61 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 32 | 38 | 35 | Stanton Barrett | Horeseheads Brewing Toyota | 56 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 33 | 23 | 44 | Stefan Parsons | AAN Adjusters/Gilreath Farms Chevrolet | 45 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 34 | 31 | 96 | Max McLaughlin | Randco Chevrolet | 43 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 35 | 10 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Monster Energy Ford | 37 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 36 | 34 | 92 | Josh Williams | Nordic Logistics/Alloy Chevrolet | 23 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 37 | 16 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | All South Electric/One Stop Chevrolet | 21 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 38 | 30 | 02 | Blaine Perkins # | Gratis Chevrolet | 11 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 38 | 9 | 18 | Sammy Smith # | Pilot Flying J Toyota | 11 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
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