Sam Mayer punches final 4 ticket after winning first NASCAR Xfinity oval race in Homestead

JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer managed to punch his ticket for the final round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs in Florida this weekend.

The #1 Chevrolet Camaro driver was seen taking the checkered flag in P1 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway as the second race of the Round of 8 came to an end this year.

Ever closer to his championship hopes, Mayer sits with a guaranteed shot at the ultimate prize in the second-tier series of the sport after taking his fourth victory of this season.

The Contender Boats 300 also marked the 20-year-old driver's first win on an oval in his Xfinity Series career so far.

Managing to hold off a charging Riley Herbst in the latter stages of the 300-mile-long event, Sam Mayer took the lead for a total of 48 laps in the race. The Franklin, Wisconsin native also touched upon fellow driver Cole Custer's speed during the event before the Stewart-Haas Racing driver had an unscheduled pit stop for a tire blowout.

With his most recent victory at the intermediate-style Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sam Mayer has also proved his abilities on 1.5-mile-long tracks, which have been questioned in the past. Having won four out of the past eleven races, Mayer now heads into the final Round of 8 race in Martinsville with a clear, unburdened head.

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Sam Mayer elaborates on the importance of winning at an oval

After managing to turn his season around with a victory at the Charlotte Roval race and qualifying for the next round, Sam Mayer has seemingly found a new spark to go all the way this year.

Now all set to challenge for the title in Phoenix, the 20-year-old will be headed to the final event of the Round of 8 without any pressure of qualification to the next round.

Mayer also elaborated on the importance of his win at a mile-and-a-half such as Homestead-Miami Speedway, which has been his Achilles heal of late. The JR Motorsport native spoke to AP News and said:

"Our Huck’s Camaro was really fast today. It’s been real fast the last couple of weeks, primarily on road courses, so getting that first oval win is really big. That was my biggest roadblock coming into the last little bit of this playoffs."

"It’s like, ‘We have no more road courses, so it’s less confidence.’ But we finally won on an oval and my confidence finally is broken through, and it feels really good," he added.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Martinsville Speedway next weekend for the final event of the Round of 8.