Sam Mayer’s 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season has been a testament to his growth and resilience. Transitioning from JR Motorsports to Haas Factory Team, Mayer quickly adapted to his new environment. He has showcased consistent top-10 finishes, including a strong third at COTA and a runner-up position at Daytona. These results strengthened his standing as a championship contender and highlighted his ability to perform under pressure. Despite this, Mayer’s journey took an unexpected turn with a team manufacturer switch.

Haas Factory Team announced a manufacturer switch from Ford to Chevrolet for the 2026 season. This decision came after a thorough evaluation of the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Joe Custer, Team President, emphasized, “This is a performance based, results driven sport and we need to be better. Candidly, we expected to have to assess where we were by a certain point this year and we found reasons for optimism but we also needed a reality check in other areas.” For Mayer, this shift presents both challenges and opportunities, but for now, he has vowed to ‘repay’ all that Ford promised and lived up to their word.

Sam Mayer’s last lap with Ford

Sam Mayer’s optimism for the remainder of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season is fueled by a clear sense of direction and resources at his disposal. As he put it plainly in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “I can only speak for the Xfinity side between me and Sheldon and the Haas Factory team. But yeah, the information is wide open.” Despite Haas announcing a manufacturer switch from Ford to Chevrolet for the 2026 season, Mayer insists that Ford’s support in 2025 has not slackened. Since the announcement, Mayer and his teammate Sheldon Creed have emphasized that all systems are a “go” for the remainder of the year. This sense of continuity has been reinforced in their practice at the Nu Way 200 at WWT Raceway, for instance, where Mayer clocked the fastest lap of the session, showing that the tools and data Ford is providing are still being leveraged effectively.

Mayer’s ambition is clearly championship or nothing. “We want to win a championship as a Ford racing team, and everyone at Ford and Ford Racing wants that as well,” he said. Ford and the entire Haas organization have publicly reaffirmed their commitment to helping Mayer and Creed chase down the title. One example came at Iowa Speedway, where Mayer secured Ford’s first Xfinity Series win of 2025, leading the last 28 laps and solidifying both his own playoff position and Ford’s confidence in the program. Mayer is on record saying that there has been no pullback in support and “they’re giving us every ounce of information they can give us, and we’re still in the simulator.”

The work being done off-track underscores Mayer’s belief that the team is firing on all cylinders. “I just got out of the simulator yesterday afternoon, and we had a really good time at Bristol,” he continued. The simulator work is more than fine-tuning; it is seen as a crucial component of preparation, especially for tracks like Bristol, whose tight quarters, rapid line changes, and demanding braking zones reward drivers who have rehearsed every nuance. His recent performance in practice sessions also indicates he feels confident in his car’s handling, setup adaptability, and the team’s strategy depth. “I think that we’re firing off really, really good. I’m really excited to see what we can do,” he added.

Throughout the rest of the season, Mayer is clearly focused on the destination. “Everything is wide open right now. I’m really looking forward to finishing the season off with Ford. They’ve been a great partner of Haas Factory and a partner of mine, honestly, and they’ve treated me really well,” he continued. Between the momentum from Iowa, solid practice showing, and consistent results, Mayer has built a platform he believes will carry him through the playoffs to the final rounds. In this regard, he and Haas are treating every race like a stepping stone toward Phoenix, where the championship will be decided.

Mayer’s closing thoughts leave no doubt about his gratitude and his objectives, saying, “I want to repay that favor with hopefully racing for a championship here at the end of the year in Phoenix.” That sense of reciprocation stems from Mayer’s understanding that while manufacturer allegiances may shift in the future, the relationships established now have a lasting impact. Phoenix looms as the culmination of all this preparation, momentum, and partnership.

Hendrick partnership could change Haas’s NASCAR trajectory

Alongside the manufacturer change, Haas will enter into a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR’s most successful team. The driver lineup is expected to stay intact, with Cole Custer continuing in the Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer will compete in a soon-to-be-renamed O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. “The times have changed but what hasn’t changed is the relationship,” Custer said. “It’s a healthy relationship. Rick has always appreciated good manufacturing and our heritage is in CNC machinery and metal cutting.”

The move is symbolic as well as strategic, signaling a definitive step away from the Tony Stewart era. Stewart-Haas Racing, co-founded by Smoke and Gene Haas, won two Championships in 2011 with Stewart and in 2014 with Kevin Harvick, with Ford Mustang. However, after the team closed down last year, Haas chose a different path by switching from a manufacturer that had supported the team since its inception.

The partnership with Hendrick offers clear advantages. HMS brings state-of-the-art infrastructure, chassis prep, aerodynamic development, and simulation data, allowing Haas to tap into the same technical ecosystem used by Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott. Gene Haas’ team no longer has to figure things out alone; with Hendrick’s guidance, the path to competitive success is far more streamlined.