Sam Mayer Earns Runner-Up Finish at Phoenix for Fifth Top-10 Finish of O’Reilly Series Chase.

AVONDALE, AZ (October 17, 2026) –

 Sam Mayer mounted a late-race charge for the win at Phoenix, closing to within three-tenths of a second of Jesse Love before settling for a runner-up finish, his fifth top-10 result of the Chase. Sheldon Creed showed front-running speed early before an engine issue derailed his night, leaving him multiple laps down and with a 32nd-place finish.

00 Sheldon Creed:

Qualifying inside the top 10 for the 10th time in 11 trips to Phoenix, Sheldon Creed rolled off fourth in the No. 00 Ollie’s Chevrolet looking to protect his points lead. He quickly moved into third in the opening laps and passed Brandon Jones in turn three for second on lap 21. Following a caution for rain, Creed took the lead on the ensuing restart and led eight laps before eventually settling back into second, earning nine points in Stage One.

Creed’s strong start was derailed when he lost engine power in his No. 00 Ollie’s Chevrolet under the stage break, dropping him to 38th before returning to the track three laps down. Despite that, he kept pace with the leaders and was able to gain one position by the end of the segment.

Still three laps down after pitting during the stage caution, Creed caught a break when a caution following green-flag pit stops allowed him to regain a lap. Returning to the track two laps down in his No. 00 Ollie’s Chevrolet, he continued to fight through the closing laps but was unable to make up any more ground, finishing 32nd.

“I shut my car off under caution, and it just wouldn't refire, even after cycling power and trying several different things. I eventually got it restarted using the shut-off button on the steering wheel, but by then I was multiple laps down despite having a rocket ship of an Ollie's Chevrolet the rest of the night,” Creed said. “Anything can happen at Talladega, so we'll be more aggressive and try to win stages and the race to hopefully get ourselves back within 25-30 points heading into the final two weeks.”

41 Sam Mayer:

Entering the race 59 points back in the standings, Sam Mayer faced an uphill battle after an engine change during practice sent the No. 41 Starkey Chevrolet to the rear of the field. He quickly worked his way into the top 15 within the opening 10 laps before a yellow for rain slowed his progress in 13th. Mayer then capitalized on the restart, advancing to sixth by the end of Stage One and earning four stage points.

After slowing to help push Sheldon Creed under caution, Mayer cycled back to sixth to begin Stage Two. He advanced to fifth in his No. 41 Starkey Chevrolet and settled into the top five, maintaining a steady gap and consistent lap times. Mayer carried that pace to the end of the stage, earning six additional points.

An early caution in Stage Three forced Mayer to make two trips down pit road. The No. 41 Starkey Chevrolet showed strong speed on the high line of the mile-long track, advancing to third before Mayer passed Corey Day for second. He then set his sights on the leader, working to close a three-second gap. After making his green-flag pit stop on Lap 154, Mayer exited pit road within two seconds of the lead. He continued to close on Jesse Love over the final 20 laps, pulling within three-tenths of a second but ultimately came up short at the finish, crossing the line in second.

“Neither of us really made a mistake there at the end, and he (Jesse Love) executed really well, so credit to him for a great race. The Starkey Chevrolet was really good today, and I'm proud of these Haas Factory Team boys for their effort,” Mayer said. “It was a lot of fun, and we're getting closer to that win, so hopefully we can get it done at Talladega.”

Up Next:

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the sixth race of the Chase next Saturday, October 24th, with race coverage on the CW set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

About Haas Factory Team:

Haas Factory Team is a NASCAR Cup and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series program owned by Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. New in 2026, Haas Factory will align with Chevrolet. As part of the manufacturer switch, HFT will have a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, which will include using Hendrick-built engines across both series. The team will feature Cole Custer driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer take on the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in the No. 00 and No. 41 Chevrolet Camaros, 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.