CONCORD, N.C. — In a dramatic and controversial finish at The Roval in Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sam Mayer secured a win that propelled him forward in the Xfinity Series playoffs. This victory, however, came at a significant cost to Parker Kligerman, who not only missed out on his first-ever win in the series due to a critical NASCAR scoring decision but was also eliminated from the playoff contention entirely.
Kligerman had been in the lead and was approaching what should have been the final lap of the race when Leland Honeyman crashed into the tire barrier. Given how deeply Honeyman was stuck, many anticipated an immediate caution flag, yet NASCAR opted to wait until Kligerman was on the brink of crossing the white flag, marking the race’s final lap, before waving the yellow flag. As a result, Kligerman’s team was celebrating prematurely on pit road, unaware that the race would go into overtime due to the ruling that he had not completed a lap before the caution.
This weekend’s event marked the Xfinity Series’ 14th race this season to conclude in overtime. Mayer, having previous success at this location, managed to catch up with Kligerman during the suspenseful two-lap sprint to the finish line. Their contact on Mayer’s winning maneuver caused damage to Kligerman’s vehicle, ultimately resulting in his sixth-place finish. “I want to cry,” Kligerman expressed, visibly emotional, “but I’m holding it together. I really love this sport, and I desperately wanted that win. It would have meant everything to me.”
After watching the replay and realizing how close he was to victory before the last-minute call, Kligerman was incredulous. “What!” he exclaimed, clearly shocked. He reflected on his unique perspective given his role as a television analyst, stating, “I’ve witnessed the heart-wrenching disappointments that drivers endure in scenarios like this.”
AJ Allmendinger, who had been undefeated in his prior four Roval appearances in the Xfinity Series, took home the second position, while Shane Van Gisbergen finished third. However, Van Gisbergen’s playoff journey ended despite the strong finish as he fell short of the points needed for advancement. He and Allmendinger are set to compete in Sunday’s Cup Series race, with Van Gisbergen starting from the pole position.
Jesse Love finished in 19th place but managed to pass enough cars in the final laps to knock Van Gisbergen out of the playoffs by a narrow margin of two points. This weekend also saw the elimination of Kligerman, Van Gisbergen, Sheldon Creed, and Riley Herbst from playoff contention. Both Creed and Herbst had already faced early incidents and were forced to watch the conclusion from within the garage.
Within this round of the playoffs, Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith were the only two drivers already confirmed as moving on, leaving six spots to be filled on the tricky hybrid course of Charlotte. Justin Allgaier, who was below the cutline at the start of the race, managed to finish seventh, earning himself a spot in the next round and taking the points lead ahead of the subsequent race in Las Vegas next Saturday. Notably, all top seven finishers from the race on Saturday were drivers contending in the playoffs.