Sam Mayer will return to the JR Motorsports No. 1 car in the Xfinity Series next season.
The team announced Tuesday that Mayer, 19, will run a third consecutive Xfinity schedule for the team co-owned by retired driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Mayer is ninth in the Xfinity playoff standings with five races remaining before the cutoff. He is winless this year but has eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.
Mayer raced part-time for JRM in 2021. This is his first full-time Xfinity season.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth and maturity from Sam on and off the racetrack,” said team co-owner Kelly Earnhardt Miller in a statement released by the team. “He is consistently running up front, is fast each and every week and provides great visibility for his partners.”
Mayer has been in the Xfinity spotlight this season. He and series star Ty Gibbs had altercations on and off the track at Martinsville Speedway in April. They fought on pit road after the race, Gibbs landing two punches to Mayer’s face.
Mayer originally raced for JRM’s Late Model program.
“It’s a good feeling to get this squared away,” Mayer said in a team statement. “Now we can focus on locking ourselves into the playoffs and getting that first Xfinity win.”
The Xfinity Series is off this weekend. The next race is Aug. 20 at Watkins Glen, N.Y. (3 p.m. ET, USA Network).