Sam Mayer and the GMS Racing team was racing with heavy hearts at Salem Speedway this weekend, as a co-worker, Jonathan Morrison, known as “Outlaw,” passed away this weekend.
They were hoping to put the No. 21 machine in victory lane so they could dedicate the win to him. However, Mayer and the team fell one spot short as he finished second to race winner Michael Self.
“It was pretty crazy starting in the back like that about mid pack,” Mayer told MAVTV post race. “I felt like we had a good car overall, I wish we would have been able to put four tires on it after that restart and go see what she had, but it got rain delayed and eventually canceled.
“I was really looking forward going out trying to get that win for “Outlaw” and GMS. It would have been really nice over there at GMS. Can’t thank them enough. The Chevrolet Accessories No. 21 was pretty sporty today, but just wasn’t able to get it done.”
For Mayer, it was his best ARCA Menards Series finish and his best finish since IRP last summer where he finished seventh.
Carson Hocevar, backed by the No. 28 team, collected his first ever ARCA Menards Series pole of his young career. It was the 16-year old’s first ARCA race back since IRP of last year, where he finished fifth after starting second that day.
However, that was the past and this is the present. Hocevar was hoping to put the No. 28 machine in victory lane today, but fell three positions short.
He got passed by eventual race winner Self for the lead on Lap 18. After that, Hocevar could never really catch the leader again. He quietly ran in the top five for the rest of the race. Hocevar ran his race, but the rain came and he wound up third. But he wanted to go back racing and was a little unsatisfied with a
“I was really hoping they (ARCA) wouldn’t call it,” Hocevar told MAVTV in the post-race interview. “I was disappointed when the guys told me it was over, but KBR Development gave me a good Scotts-Berger Chevrolet. I think we had a really good shot at it. We were just too free early on, I was sitting there saving so I had to back my pace down, so I had something there at the end. Especially with it looking like it was going to go all the way green.”
“My guys did a heck of a job all weekend,” he continued. “So overall, a third place isn’t too bad.”
It was Hocevar’s third top five of his career and first of the season.
