A little over a month ago, Sam Mayer notched a big achievement. The 22-year-old driver broke off Connor Zilisch’s invincible streak, defending his crown at Iowa Speedway. After taking control following a lap 221 restart, he led all the way to clinch the first-ever victory for Haas Factory Team. This elevated HFT’s status as a young team that came into existence barely a year ago. Now, Mayer is taking the team’s fame to greater heights – in a crossover.

While Sam Mayer prepares for the highly anticipated Xfinity Series championship, he is dabbling in off-track pursuits as well. Mayer’s 3rd-place finish in Bristol marked his 13th top-five finish of the year. So, Mayer can comfortably devote time to some funny exchanges with a WWE athlete.

Sam Mayer turns a myth into reality

WWE NXT TV has hosted a unique face since last summer. That is none other than Joe Hendry, the Scottish wrestler who won the British Senior National Championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Presently, he is a darling in WWE, being a big part of the TNA-WWE partnership. Fans on American soil are getting to know him for an iconic dialogue. “Say his name, and he appears.” So the legend goes that if you say Hendry’s name, he will be there for you. And NASCAR Xfinity Series star Sam Mayer wanted to test this saying – and was flabbergasted by the result.

In a video posted by The CW on X, a group of WWE stars, featuring Andre Chase and Kale Dixon, huddled together talking about an unlikely topic. Chase said, “So today I brought in two guys who know a little bit about going fast while keeping it under control.” And then, Sam Mayer and Cole Custer appeared on the screen – but mind you, Custer’s face is invisible inside his helmet. Then we heard Mayer professing his love for Joe Hendry. He said, “Dude, I’m a huge fan, I love this, it’s awesome, so honored to be here. And I loved that whole deal where you say his name like he just appears. That was awesome,” Yet Mayer held his doubts: “But I have to ask you, is it real?” 

A group of NXT stars then approached Sam Mayer and his side in an intimidating manner, warning him not to say ‘the name.’ Yet even as Mayer denies knowing it, one guy slips it out. Then lo and behold! Cole Custer was not Cole Custer at all, but instead Joe Hendry donning a Haas Factory Team costume! Then Hendry uttered his iconic words, “Say his name. He appears. I believe in Joe Hendry.”

This unique crossover is only the latest of NASCAR and WWE’s prior team-ups. Cup Series stars have crashed wrestling parties many times, like when Joey Logano and Kyle Busch co-hosted an episode of “Monday Night Raw” in 2009. Then, Carl Edwards performed his signature backflip when he hosted an episode of “Monday Night Raw” in 2010. The reverse scenario has also happened – legendary WWE veterans like John Cena, Bill Goldberg, and Charlotte Flair have been guests at NASCAR races.

While Sam Mayer bumps up his fame in his team-up with professional wrestlers, he is also diligently preparing for the Xfinity Series title run.

Mayer is placing his targets

Mostly, only one driver is dominating the Xfinity Series conversation. Connor Zilisch has collected nine trophies across the 2025 season, despite being a rookie driver. Yet in the last playoff race of Bristol, Zilisch washed up in 5th place, and Aric Almirola won. This proved that Zilisch’s glass ceiling can be broken, and Sam Mayer is all in for it. Up next is the Kansas Lottery 300 race at Kansas Speedway, and Mayer has some encouraging stats. He clinched a 13th-place finish in last season’s race. His two top-10 finishes in the NXS came in 2021 (8th) and 2022 (9th). His best start was P5 last season, and he holds an average starting position of 9.5.

What is more, Sam Mayer’s unbeatable drive may push him to achieve better than Connor Zilisch. “It’s the 88 (JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Zilisch) and everyone else,” he initially praised his rival. However, Mayer continued, “But I feel like we’re making a step in the right direction. With the playoff reset and the way these playoffs are, all of that stuff that you do can not matter in an instant. You want to be able to do what you can during these next three races to make it to the next round and then focus on winning a race from there to lock yourself into the champ four. We definitely aren’t good enough to be dominant like that, but I don’t think we’re too far off from that point.”

Evidently, Sam Mayer is on a mission – to be one of the frontrunners in the Xfinity title hunt. While he is at it, a humorous team-up with WWE might push him further!