Sam Mayer has walk-off win at Charlotte Roval, advances to Round of 8: As Sam Mayer celebrated his drama-filled victory in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Parker Kligerman watched a replay of the whisker-close circumstance that knocked him out of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.(Read more)(10-12-2024)

For the second straight year, #1-Sam Mayer won the Drive For The Cure 250 Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval to advance to the Round of 8. Mayer passed #48-Parker Kligerman in overtime to secure the victory, his third of the season.
#16-AJ Allmendinger had his streak of four straight wins at the Charlotte Roval snapped by finishing runner-up. #97-Shane van Gisbergen placed third, with #21-Austin Hill and #81-Chandler Smith rounding out the top five.
#48-Kligerman dropped to sixth in overtime with a left-front tire rub. #7-Justin Allgaier, #19-Josh Bilicki, #20-Aric Almirola and #8-Sammy Smith completed the top 10.
#97-van Gisbergen came up one point short of advancing to the Round of 8. With an engine failure, #18-Sheldon Creed gave up a 32-point advantage over the elimination line and was eliminated from the Playoffs. #98-Riley Herbst was involved in a pair of incidents and also missed the cut. #48-Kligerman was the fourth driver to miss the Round of 8.
#16-Allmendinger won the opening stage, his second stage victory of the season. #7-Allgaier added a 15th stage win in 2024 to his resume in Stage 2.
There were 12 lead changes among eight drivers and seven cautions for 20 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 66.290 mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Owner Points Standings, Driver Points Standings Before Reset, Owner Points Standings Before Reset, Cumulative Report, Penalty Report.

Race Fast Facts – Charlotte Roval:
Sam Mayer (P) won the Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, his seventh victory in 113 Xfinity Series races.
This is his third victory and 12th top-10 finish in 2024.
This is his second victory and third top-10 finish in four races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
AJ Allmendinger (P) (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in five races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. It is his 15th top-10 finish in 2024.
Shane van Gisbergen # (P) (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Shane van Gisbergen (P) (third) was the highest finishing rookie.
Chandler Smith (P) leads the point standings by 23 points over Austin Hill (P).

Xfinity Series Standings after Charlotte(Race 29 of 33):
1)#7-Justin Allgaier 3,035, +18
2)#00-Cole Custer 3,028, +11
3)#21-Austin Hill 3,026, +9
4)81-Chandler Smith 3,025, +8
Currently below elimination line
5)#1-Sam Mayer 3,017, -8
6)#2-Jesse Love 3,013, -12
7)#16-AJ Allmendinger 3,007, -18
8)#8-Sammy Smith 3,006, -19
See the Drivers Points Standings and Owners Points Standings.

Race Updates:
Lap 72: #1-Mayer wins and advances to the Round of 8. #16-Allmendinger, #97-van Gisbergen, #21-Hill and #81-Smith round out the top five.
Lap 71: #2-Love makes a few passes to get up to 19th and takes eighth spot in the playoff standings.
Lap 70: #1-Mayer uses a crossover in Turn 7 to take the lead from #48-Kligerman.
Lap 66: The caution flies for #42-Honeyman cutting a left-front tire and is buried deep into the tire barriers. #48-Kligerman was inches from the finish line before the caution flew.
Lap 64: #1-Mayer slips third gear in the oval Turn 1, allowing #48-Kligerman to escape with a one-second lead.
Lap 63: #1-Mayer dives into the frontstretch chicane and clears #48-Kligerman. Kligerman comes back to take the lead.
Lap 62: #48-Kligerman continues to lead #1-Mayer by a half-second. #16-Allmendinger is one second back in third.
Lap 58: #48-Kligerman takes the lead from #97-van Gisbergen in Turn 7. #1-Mayer takes second from van Gisbergen through the frontstretch chicane.
Lap 56: #48-Kligerman is up to second on fresh tires. #88-Mosack and #8-Smith make contact.
Lap 55: #97-van Gisbergen stays out to take the lead. #32-Green, #2-Love and #50-Pardus also stay out. The majority of the field pits, led by #1-Mayer.
Lap 53: #35-Annunziata is piled into the Turn 1 tire barriers with a brake failure.
Lap 52: #97-van Gisbergen passes #16-Allmendinger for second, 2.2 seconds behind #1-Mayer.
Lap 50: #98-Herbst has returned to the race, 10 laps down.
Lap 48: #16-Allmendinger passes #88-Mosack for second spot, nearly two seconds behind race leader #1-Mayer.
Lap 45: #20-Almirola spins in Turn 7 from sixth position. #51-Clements spun trying to avoid Almirola. #1-Mayer takes the lead from #88-Mosack.
Lap 42: #7-Allgaier leads a handful of drivers down pit road to pit for what could be the final time.
Lap 41: #98-Herbst has gone to the garage and can repair a bent trackbar because he cleared minimum speed prior to the caution.
Lap 40: #7-Allgaier wins Stage 2, his 15th stage victory of the season. #88-Mosack, #1-Mayer, #20-Almirola, #42-Honeyman, #16-Allmendinger, #97-van Gisbergen, #81-Smith, #07-Karam and #19-Bilicki earn stage points.
Lap 39: The caution is out for #18-Creed stalled on the track. #7-Allgaier will win the stage.
Lap 38: #98-Herbst blows a left-rear tire after damage earlier in the race.
Lap  37: #18-Creed reports that he’s blowing an engine and is limping around the track.
Lap 35: The majority of the field will flip the field, putting them in their fuel window. #1-Mayer wins the race off pit road. #7-Allgaier is the new leader, followed by #07-Karam, #42-Honeyman, #51-Clements, #39-Sieg and #88-Mosack. #1-Mayer will restart eighth.
Lap 33: #1-Mayer takes the lead on the restart from #19-Bilicki through Turns 2 and 3. #5-Alfredo and #98-Herbst make contact in the frontstretch chicane and trigger a multi-car pileup at the start/finish line. #11-Williams, #28-Sieg, #07-Karam, #31-Retzlaff, #35-Annunziata, #18-Creed, #44-Poole, #45-Perez, #18-Creed, #26-Jones and #15-Lupton all get damage.
Lap 30: #1-Mayer throws a dive bomb into Turn 7 to take second spot from #81-Smith. The caution is out for #38-DiBenedetto being stuck in the tire barriers. #51-Clements also backed into the tire barriers.
Lap 28: #18-Creed pits to assess his shifter issue.
Lap 27: Caution is out for debris in Turn 2. #18-Creed says his shifter is stuck in second gear.
Lap 25: #26-Jones gets into the rear of #91-Labbe in the backstretch chicane and turns Labbe around. #19-Bilicki leads #81-Smith and #20-Almirola.
Lap 24: #97-van Gisbergen dives into Turn 7 to gain multiple positions.
Lap 22: The drivers who had yet to pit do so during the caution. #19-Bilicki is scored as the new race leader. #2-Love wins the race off pit road, jumping four spots. #97-van Gisbergen lost five spots with the team having to pull tape from his grille.
Lap 20: #16-Allmendinger wins Stage 1, his second stage victory of the season. #97-van Gisbergen, #7-Allgaier, #21-Hill, #2-Love, #18-Creed, #88-Mosack, #98-Herbst, #19-Bilicki and #81-Smith earn stage points.
Lap 19: #7-Allgaier takes third position form #21-Hill. Richard Childress Racing teammates Hill and #2-Love make contact while battling for fourth.
Lap 17: #19-Bilicki, #81-Smith, #20-Almirola, #1-Mayer, #48-Kligerman, #32-Green, #9-Jones, #00-Custer, #8-Smith, #5-Alfredo, #43-Ellis, #91-Labbe, #11-Williams, #26-Jones and #28-Sieg pit to flip the stage and get track position at the start of Stage 2.
Lap 15: #2-Love gets into Turn 7 hot and turns #18-Creed for fourth spot.
Lap 14: #97-van Gisbergen gets by #18-Creed for third spot. #16-Allmendinger leads #19-Bilicki by 3.4 seconds for the race lead.
Lap 10: #1-Mayer has cracked the top 10 after passing #48-Kligerman and #98-Herbst in consecutive corners.
Lap 8: #97-van Gisbergen misses the backstretch chicane and has to completely come to a stop to avoid penalty.
Lap 7: #1-Mayer has moved up to 13th position and is only two seconds behind 10th.
Lap 4: #16-Allmendinger takes the lead in the frontstretch chicane. #18-Creed and #97-van Gisbergen battle for second.
Lap 3: #1-Mayer re-joins the race in 20th position, 9.6 seconds behind #97-van Gisbergen.
Lap 2: #39-Sieg spins out of Turn 2. #1-Mayer serves his pass-through penalty from the lead. #97-van Gisbergen takes the lead.
Lap 1: #1-Mayer launched out of the restart zone ahead of #97-van Gisbergen and will get penalized for beating the leader to the line.

Cars to the rear: #26-Ed Jones, 35-Thomas Annunziata (unapproved adjustments)

Pit Stall Selections

For the third time in the 2024 season on a road course, #97-Shane van Gisbergen scored the pole at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, with a speed of 97.110 mph. The top three drivers in the starting lineup are all hoovering near the playoff elimination line.
Defending race winner #1-Sam Mayer will start second (96.871 mph), one spot off his pole-winning run last year. Four-time Roval winner #16-AJ Allmendinger will start third (96.776 mph), with #19-Josh Bilicki (96.256 mph) and #18-Sheldon Creed (96.248 mph) rounding out the top five.
#21-Austin Hill, #81-Chandler Smith, #2-Jesse Love, #7-Justin Allgaier and #88-Connor Mosack complete the top 10.
Playoff drivers outside the top 10 include: #20-Aric Almirola (12th, owners), #98-Riley Herbst (13th), #00-Cole Custer (14th), #8-Sammy Smith (16th) and #48-Parker Kligerman (22nd).
See the complete Charlotte Roval Starting Lineup.

Qualifying Fast Facts — Charlotte Roval
Shane Van Gisbergen # (P) won the Pole Award for the Drive for the Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina with a lap of 84.523 seconds, 97.110 mph.
This is his third pole in 29 NASCAR Xfinity Series races.
This is his third pole and eighth top-10 start in 2024.
This is his first pole in one races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
Sam Mayer (P) (second) posted his 15th top-10 start of 2024 and his third in four races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.
AJ Allmendinger (P) (third) posted his third top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. It is his 21st in 29 races this season.
Shane Van Gisbergen (P) (first) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

Qualifying Order

Practice for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval is complete. The top five, slowest, news and notes:
#97-Shane van Gisbergen 96.314 mph
#1-Sam Mayer 95.843 mph
#2-Jesse Love 95.628 mph
#16-AJ Allmendinger 95.590 mph
#21-Austin Hill 95.558 mph
Slowest: #14-Nathan Byrd 90.876 mph
Most laps run: #21-Hill, 23
Notes: Multiple drivers missed the frontstretch chicane, including: #1-Sam Mayer, #88-Connor Mosack, #97-Shane van Gisbergen. In the early minutes, #45-Brad Perez had a mechanical issue and had smoke billowing from his car. With 20 minutes remaining, a caution flew for debris on the frontstretch chicane.
See full Charlotte Roval Practice Results.

Clinch scenarios heading into the Charlotte Roval:

With only one opportunity left to advance to the Round of 8, let’s take a look at what it’s going to take for each driver to advance:

Already Clinched: The following 2 drivers have clinched a spot in the 8-driver field of the next round: Chandler Smith, Sammy Smith.

Can clinch via points: If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 8th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Chandler Smith, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, Jesse Love, Riley Herbst or AJ Allmendinger.

Cole Custer: Would clinch with 19 points
Austin Hill: Would clinch with 19 points
Sheldon Creed: Would clinch with 24 points
Jesse Love: Would clinch with 34 points
Riley Herbst: Would clinch with 36 points
AJ Allmendinger: Would clinch with 49 points
Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help
Shane Van Gisbergen: Could only clinch with help
Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help
Parker Kligerman: Could only clinch with help
If there is a new winner from Justin Allgaier or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 7th winless driver in the standings.

Cole Custer: Would clinch with 26 points
Austin Hill: Would clinch with 26 points
Sheldon Creed: Would clinch with 31 points
Jesse Love: Would clinch with 41 points
Riley Herbst: Would clinch with 43 points
AJ Allmendinger: Could only clinch with help
Justin Allgaier: Could only clinch with help
Shane Van Gisbergen: Could only clinch with help
Sam Mayer: Could only clinch with help
Parker Kligerman: Could only clinch with help
Can clinch via win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Cole Custer, Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, Jesse Love, Riley Herbst, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, Shane Van Gisbergen, Sam Mayer, Parker Kligerman

Crew Rosters

Goodyear Tire Notes

There are 38 drivers/teams on the entry list for the Drive for the Cure 250 Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. No cars will miss the race.
Notables: #07-Sage Karam, #14-Nathan Byrd #15-Dylan Lupton, #19-Josh Bilicki, #20-Aric Almirola, #26-Ed Jones, #28-Ryan Sieg, #32-Austin Green, #35-Thomas Annunziata, #39-Kyle Sieg, #45-Brad Perez, #50-Preston Pardus, #88-Connor Mosack, #91-Alex Labbe, #92-Dawson Cram.
See the full Charlotte Roval Entry List.

Charlotte Roval At-Track Schedule