Sam Mayer calls out teammate Josh Berry's hard racing at Bristol: 'Not really a veteran move'
Bristol can bring out the best, and sometimes the worst in drivers. Sam Mayer had a questionable comment for teammate Josh Berry this weekend. During the Food City 300 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Berry got into Mayer, turned them both and also collected JR Motorsports teammate Brandon Jones in the process.
When the drivers were questioned after leaving the care center, Sam Mayer was a little harsh on Berry. For what seemed like a racing incident, the criticism jumped out immediately to those watching at home.
That could have just been more frustration than any real criticism. It’s Bristol, it’s the playoffs, these drivers want to perform well and chase a championship. Still, you can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the 20-year-old as he questions the 32-year-old’s “veteran” status in the sport.
“I got to actually talk to Josh so I’m not gonna say anything stupid now,” Mayer said, via NASCAR. “But obviously very frustrating and unfortunate way to end a solid day. We were getting better and better as we went. I think by the end of it, we were gonna be right there and able to make something happen. I don’t know if we had race-winning speed yet. We obviously didn’t survive long enough to tell but just unfortunate.
“Obviously, he said he cut a tire down so that’s just part of it. But I mean, racing that hard at the end of Stage 2 for no reason, I mean, it’s not really a veteran move in my opinion. But what do I know I guess?”
Sam Mayer, won his first career race in the Xfinity Series this season at Road America, then followed it up with a win at Watkins Glen. Berry on the other hand has five wins in his career, three of them came in the 2022 season. He’s also off to the Cup Series full-time next season with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Sam Mayer breaking out of his shell
One thing that you can say about Sam Mayer is that these wins have done a lot for his confidence. It doesn’t matter if he’s tussling with Ty Gibbs or if he’s going at it with his own teammate, Mayer doesn’t seem to want to play the quiet young driver anymore.
Of course, Mayer didn’t go in too hard on his teammate. The two drivers have competed against one another over the years and learned a lot from each other. This is just one of those things that happens in racing.
“He’s been hard on me in the past and I’ve learned hard lessons because of it. And I think this isn’t really a lesson-learning accident; it’s just one of those deals that you’ve got to chalk up to unfortunate. I mean, I know Josh. He’s not malicious. So it’s not like he wanted to take all of us out of raw intent, but just unfortunate.”
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Payoffs continue at Texas Motor Speedway this week. It is back to the Saturday-Sunday schedule for Xfinity and Cup. Time to see which drivers are able to make it out of the Lone Star State.