Now, this is quite the homecoming. Sam Mayer is heading back to where a huge chunk of his success was forged, officially slated to reunite with JR Motorsports for the 2027 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. He will climb right back behind the wheel of the team’s No. 1 Chevrolet, as announced by the team on Tuesday.
Before departing for Haas Factory Team—where he has competed through the 2025 and 2026 campaigns, currently sitting fifth in The Chase standings after Friday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 41 Chevrolet—Mayer spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his O’Reilly career with JRM. Starkey is locked in as his primary sponsor for the upcoming 2027 effort.
History suggests this machine and driver pairing is a natural fit. Hailing from Wisconsin, Mayer secured seven of his eight career O’Reilly Series victories with JRM's No. 1 Chevrolet, taking four wins in 2023 and another three in 2024, alongside a career-best third place in the championship standings back in 2023. His roots with the organization run even deeper, tracing back to a successful stint in JRM’s Late Model program in 2018 and 2019.
“I am really happy to be back with JR Motorsports and back behind the wheel of the No. 1 Chevrolet,” Mayer said in a team release. “I’m really grateful to continue my career with the organization that gave me my start and thankful to Starkey for being an incredible partner and for their continued support in my racing career. There is still some racing left to do this year and I am focused on that, but I can’t wait to get the 2027 season underway at Daytona with JRM.”
JRM remains an absolute powerhouse in the series, currently boasting 15 wins out of 27 races this season and sending four drivers into the 12-driver Chase. Team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke candidly to NASCAR.com about the reunion, noting, “I think he’s a different dude than when he left. And I think he also appreciates us a little more. … I don’t want that to sound the wrong way, but I think he realizes he was in a really good spot with us. And we’ve really worked hard to try to figure out how to put around him what he needed to win and be successful mentally, really. So I think he’s excited, and we worked with him all the way through the Late Models and all that so it’s very familiar. He’ll be a nice addition to what we’ve got going on.”
Meanwhile, Mayer's current tenure at Haas Factory Team has brought solid numbers. Last year, in his debut campaign with HFT, he grabbed one win, matched a career-high with 13 top fives, and logged career-best marks with an 8.1 average start and an 11.5 average finish. So far in 2026, he has stacked up six top fives and 13 top 10s, sitting 78 points behind HFT teammate and points leader Sheldon Creed as this chapter draws toward its close.
