Sam Mayer Has Eyes on Summer Shootout Prize

Despite only being 13 years old, Sam Mayer has already spent most of his life in a race car with his sights set on a Bojangles’ Summer Shootout championship this summer at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mayer won Tuesday night’s K1 Speed Young Lions race in a last-lap pass for the lead, proving he will be a strong competitor in the race for the championship.

The Franklin, Wisconsin, native is not new to racing or the lifestyle that comes with it. His father, Scott Mayer, is a former Indy car and Grand Am driver, so racing is in Mayer’s blood. At the age of four, Mayer was determined to start racing and jumped into a kart. By the age of 10, he had already won two national championships in the United States Pro Kart series and the Route 66 series. Mayer finally moved up to a Legend Car when he was 11 years old, and he quickly learned it was not the same.

“I had to be at least five feet away from the wall because I was uncomfortable,” said Mayer, who drives the No. 22 Farbo Motorsports Legend Car in the K1 Speed Young Lions division. “I could only go half-throttle because I didn’t know the car at all.”

Mayer leans on his previous racing experience as he attempts to dominate the Young Lions division. In the first three rounds, Mayer has finished in the top five in every race. His No. 22 Legend Car is often stalking the leaders, looking for a chance to steal the lead. On Tuesday night, Mayer waited patiently in third behind the leaders when they wrecked about 50 feet from the finish line. Mayer took advantage of their mishap and passed them to take the checkered flag.

With dreams of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in his mind, Mayer prepares to gain more experience and become a force to be reckoned with in the Legend Car. He is determined to win the Young Lions championship this summer as he looks ahead to a national Legend Car championship later this year. Charlotte Motor Speedway is known for its tough competition, and Mayer is ready to take on this challenge to be in contention for the title.

“The competition is tough,” Mayer said. “There’s a lot of diversity in the drivers who are looking to get everything they can get and you just have to be aggressive back.”

The Bojangles’ Summer Shootout will continue on Tuesday night with a full night of racing and the special Media Mayhem school bus showcase. Local media personalities will take their shot at racing on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s frontstretch quarter-mile in another hotly contested school bus slobberknocker.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing beginning at approximately 7 p.m.

TICKETS:
Single-day admission to the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout costs just $8 for adults and is FREE for children under 13. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267)

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