Sam Mayer, driver of the #21 Spencer Clark Foundation Chevrolet, poses for a team photo following the Star Nursery 150 ARCA Menards Series West Race at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Miranda Alam
Sam Mayer dominated nearly every category en route to winning the Star Nursery 150 ARCA Menards Series West Race at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Thursday. (Miranda Alam/ARCA Racing)

Sam Mayer Adds Special Awards Haul To His Vegas Race Win

Official Release February 25, 2020

Different series, different coast, different time zone … same result.

Ten days after picking up the win in the ARCA Menards Series East season opener at New Smyrna, Sam Mayer earned his second trophy of the year in the ARCA Menards Series West kickoff event at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Mayer and his No. 21 Spencer Clark Foundation Chevrolet, running a special paint scheme to honor late Las Vegas-based racer Spencer Clark dominated the Star Nursery 150 in the desert, and collected several of ARCA’s special awards to go along with his big win.

Mayer sped to the General Tire Pole Award with ease, with his fast lap of 92.396 mph setting a track record. Mayer broke the record previously held by two-time West champion Greg Pursley, who set the old mark of 90.144 in 2011.

Mayer now has two pole awards in three West starts, having also started from the pole at Phoenix for last year’s season finale.

Mayer was able to lead off the initial start before giving way to Jesse Love for a few laps. Mayer took the lead back on lap 14 and was out front for nearly the entire remaining distance, with Love briefly taking the lead on the final restart of the race. All told, Mayer led 138 of the 150 laps, earning both the Richmond Water Heaters Halfway Leader award and the Valvoline Lap Leader award for the most laps led.

Love, out of the Bill McAnally Racing stable, was the only other driver to take a turn out front. Love finished second with 12 laps led to his credit.

Love, making his ARCA Menards Series West debut, had a strong run going all night at the Star Nursery 150 and captured the Bounty Rookie of the Race honors for finishing second. Love now sits atop the Bounty Rookie Challenge standings with 42 points. The four highest-finishing rookies at the Bullring were all McAnally drivers as the team features a very young lineup this season.

Love was not the only BMR driver to receive an award for his performance Thursday night, as teammate Lawless Alan drove through the field to pick up the K&N Filters Hard Charger award. Alan gained the most positions on the track between the start of the race and the finish, qualifying tenth and rallying to finish sixth. Alan was making just his second career AMS West start and his first on an oval, having competed at the road course of Sonoma Raceway last season.

The next race on the ARCA Menards Series West schedule will be on Saturday, March 28, as the series heads to California’s Irwindale Speedway, outside of Los Angeles. Trevor Huddleston is the defending winner of the event.

Live coverage of the event will be available on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold beginning at 7 p.m. PST. NBCSN will air the condensed replay on Thursday, April 2, at 3 p.m. PST.