Mayer and Creed Both Caught Up in Incidents at Rockingham Speedway
NASCAR Xfinity Series Returns to Rockingham for First Time Since 2004
Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series returned to Rockingham Speedway for the first time since 2004 on Saturday. Haas Factory Team got off to a strong start, with Sheldon Creed laying down the third-fastest lap in practice. However, power steering issues forced both Creed and Sam Mayer to make critical adjustments before the 250-lap race.
Both drivers turned in a respectable qualifying effort, as Mayer rolled off 11th and Creed started 17th. Track position proved to be key from the drop off the green flag at “The Rock”, and the duo quickly worked their way into the top-10 by lap 50. A late caution at the end of the stage flipped the field, as the HFT teammates both hit pit road for four tires and fuel.
Playing the strategy game, they restarted inside the top-10 to begin the second stage on fresh tires. It paid dividends as Mayer’s Audibel Ford Mustang drove up to sixth just 25 laps into the segment and began finding his groove on the inside line.
However, for the second week in a row, Creed was caught up in an accident on lap 109. Entering turn four, Justin Bonsignore got loose on entry and collected the No. 00 Road Ranger Ford Mustang, resulting in a 37th-place finish for Creed.
“I had a decent car all weekend long, and our team made some big adjustments throughout the race to help me,” Creed said. “We just needed a little more time to keep working at it, but just unfortunate for our team the way it’s ended now two weeks in a row.”
The No. 41 team gained Mayer a spot on pit road under caution, but six cars stayed out behind him which which shuffled him back to 11th at the end of stage two. With those drivers coming for tires and fuel at the stage end, Mayer was able to restart fourth to begin the final stage at Rockingham.
After a flurry of cautions in the last stage, Mayer was able to maintain his track position and hang around inside the top-10. The race ran green for nearly 40 laps, before three restarts due to cautions allowed Mayer to jump up from eighth to third over the final 20 laps.
On the final restart, Mayer restarted on the second row with just four laps to go, but the No. 41 car sputtered and was collected in a multi-car incident which led overtime. Despite running at the front all day long, Mayer was forced to settle for a 27th-place finish.
Up Next:
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next weekend for the 10th race on the NASCAR Cup Series/Xfinity schedule. Race coverage for the Xfinity series is set for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday on the CW, and Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX for the Cup Series.
About Haas Factory Team
The Haas Factory Team is a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity program owned by Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. Beginning in 2025, the team will feature Cole Custer driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer take on the Xfinity Series in the No. 00 and No. 41 Ford Mustangs, respectively. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the Haas Factory Team reflects a commitment to performance and engineering excellence, carrying forward Gene Haas’s commitment to motorsports.
