Sam Mayer's performance in the early part of the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Series season has been disappointing, placing him 14th in the point standings, 35 points shy of the Chase bubble. His team, the Haas Factory Team, is struggling as well, sitting in 16th place in the owner's standings with a 59-point deficit. Mayer has faced challenges, including three straight finishes of 20th or worse and only achieving one top-5 finish at Phoenix Raceway. With the competition heating up, particularly from Brent Crews, Mayer must turn his performance around quickly if he wants to qualify for the Chase. He is looking forward to the upcoming race at Kansas Speedway, hoping for a change in fortune.