Mayer Snags Second Straight IMS Xfinity Pole For Haas

Sam Mayer in action Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (John Harrelson/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Sam Mayer gave team owner Gene Haas a second straight NASCAR Xfinity Series pole at the Racing Capital of the World Saturday ahead of the Pennzoil 250 at the Brickyard.

After Riley Herbst earned the top starting spot one year ago under the Stewart-Haas Racing banner, Mayer took Haas Factory Team to the Kennametal Pole Award at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Mayer’s lap of 54.014 seconds (166.623 mph) around the iconic 2.5-mile oval was enough to edge Nick Sanchez by .046 seconds for his fourth career pole and first since Portland (Ore.) Int’l Raceway last June.

Herbst went on to win the race last season, and Mayer hopes he can replicate that feat, especially since he crashed on the initial start a year ago and wasn’t even able to complete a full lap.

“I knew that we were going to be really good,” said Mayer of his No. 41 Audibel Ford Mustang. “I was really confident in this team because they did a really good job last year, but I’m super proud of everyone for continuing the momentum and continuing the effort to keep us fast now that I’m the one in the driver’s seat.

“The Audibel Mustang was really strong, as fast as Xfinity Mobile (internet), and it’s also super cool to get Ford another pole this season as well,” he added. “We’re doing our jobs right so far, and now we have to finish the job. I guess the biggest challenge now Is starting the race … because after last year and not getting to do but about three corners, to be rolling from the pole makes me feel good about the rebound.”

Sanchez joins Mayer on the front row in the Big Machine Racing Chevrolet, with Mayer’s HFT teammate Sheldon Creed starting third alongside Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love.

Love was tracking to potentially take the pole from Mayer on his qualifying lap (54.104/166.346) but scrubbed the wall exiting turn three coming to the alternate start-finish line and just missed out.

“Anybody that knows Danny (Stockman, crew chief) knows that he’s got a lot of heart and a lot of commitment, and he told me going into qualifying that I’d better hold it wide open, or he was going to find someone else to drive the car,” laughed Love, who is doing double duty at IMS by also competing in Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

“At the end of the day, we were 75 percent right there … but it’s all good because we can get it smoothed out and get back out there,” Love added. “I feel like we had the pole pretty wrapped up there … so it really breaks my heart to say that at a place like this where the history is so great and important to the sport.

“I wanted that one, but the race is where it really matters and we’ll be good when we get there.”

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones filled out the top five, followed by his JGR teammate Aric Almirola and JR Motorsports rookie sensation Connor Zilisch, who led Friday practice but only mustered the seventh-best lap in time trials.

Defending series champion Justin Allgaier, William Sawalich, and Carson Kvapil were the balance of the top 10.

Notables starting deeper in the field at IMS include Austin Hill (13th), Taylor Gray (14th), Leland Honeyman (17th), NASCAR Cup Series star and defending Brickyard 400 winner Kyle Larson (19th), and playoff bubble drivers and cousins Harrison Burton (20th) and Jeb Burton (23rd).

Four-time Indianapolis 500 starter Katherine Legge lines up 24th in her first IMS appearance in a stock car. Her career-best mark in IndyCar’s Greatest Spectacle in Racing was 22nd back in 2012.

With 38 drivers in attendance for 38 starting spots, no one missed the field for the 21st Xfinity Series race of the season.

Broadcast coverage of the Pennzoil 250 kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the IMS Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.