Dale Earnhardt Jr. sounded off on the appeals panel ruling in favor of NASCAR on Wednesday after Sam Mayer’s disqualification from this past Saturday’s Round of 12 race at Talladega.
NASCAR disqualified Mayer from the race after his No. 1 Chevrolet failed the post-race height requirement, measuring too low in the rear. Earnhardt said a “series of aggressive bump drafting incidents” caused the rear clip on Mayer’s car to bend.
“The rear clip on the 1 was bent from a series of aggressive bump drafting incidents Saturday. We had photo evidence of the kinks in the tubing in a chassis that was previously certified along with body scans before and after the event. There isn’t much we can do about the clip possibly getting destroyed in these races. It happens,” the JR Motorsports co-owner wrote on X. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to convince the panel of our unenviable situation. On to the Roval.”
The panel found NASCAR’s ruling to be consistent with the rule book.
“The panel found that NASCAR used standard inspection procedures at Talladega Superspeedway on October 5, 2024, on the #1 NXS car and found Rule 14.17.3.2.2.2 in violation,” the Panel said in a statement.
Sam Mayer in tough spot heading to Charlotte Roval
Mayer initially finished 16th at Talladega but was credited with a P38 finish after the disqualification. That’s detrimental at this time of the year, with the postseason field soon shrinking from 12 to eight. Mayer dropped seven spots in the points standings after the disqualification. He is now 13 points below the cutline heading into this Saturday’s Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval.
Mayer, who finished third in the points standings last season, hasn’t been nearly as consistent in 2024. He has just one top 10 finish dating back to Indianapolis in July. That was a ninth-place finish in the regular season finale at Bristol last month. The nine-race stretch includes four finishes of 36th or worse. Mayer has wins this season at Texas and Iowa.
Chandler Smith (+64), Austin Hill (+37), Cole Custer (+37), Sheldon Creed (+32) Jesse Love (+22), Riley Herbst (+20) and AJ Allmendinger (+7) are the seven drivers currently above the cutline. Sammy Smith is through to the Round of 8 courtesy of his victory at Talladega.
The panel found NASCAR’s ruling to be consistent with the rule book.
“The panel found that NASCAR used standard inspection procedures at Talladega Superspeedway on October 5, 2024, on the #1 NXS car and found Rule 14.17.3.2.2.2 in violation,” the Panel said in a statement.
Sam Mayer in tough spot heading to Charlotte Roval
Mayer initially finished 16th at Talladega but was credited with a P38 finish after the disqualification. That’s detrimental at this time of the year, with the postseason field soon shrinking from 12 to eight. Mayer dropped seven spots in the points standings after the disqualification. He is now 13 points below the cutline heading into this Saturday’s Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval.
Mayer, who finished third in the points standings last season, hasn’t been nearly as consistent in 2024. He has just one top 10 finish dating back to Indianapolis in July. That was a ninth-place finish in the regular season finale at Bristol last month. The nine-race stretch includes four finishes of 36th or worse. Mayer has wins this season at Texas and Iowa.
Chandler Smith (+64), Austin Hill (+37), Cole Custer (+37), Sheldon Creed (+32) Jesse Love (+22), Riley Herbst (+20) and AJ Allmendinger (+7) are the seven drivers currently above the cutline. Sammy Smith is through to the Round of 8 courtesy of his victory at Talladega.
