Sam Mayer will enter the Round of 12 finale below the cutline after NASCAR made a surprising announcement.
According to an update from the sanctioning body, officials disqualified the No. 1 Chevrolet of JR Motorsports after it failed post-race inspection at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday evening. The reason listed was that the No. 1 failed rear heights. It was too low.
This disqualification completely changes Mayer's day. He had crossed the finish line 16th while teammate Sammy Smith won and he had scored points in the opening stage. This put him 10 points above the Round of 8 cutline and gave him an advantage heading to the track where he is the defending winner.
Now, however, the standings have changed.
MORE: Updated points after Mayer disqualification
AJ Allmendinger is now in the final spot above the cutline heading to the Charlotte Roval. He is seven points ahead of Justin Allgaier as the Xfinity Series heads back to the track where Allmendinger has five wins -- four in Xfinity and one in Cup.
Mayer has fallen to 13 points below the cutline. He is behind both Allgaier and Shane van Gisbergen (-10). The only driver below Mayer is Parker Kligerman, who is now 16 points below the cutline.
Additionally, this disqualification means that Chandler Smith has clinched his spot in the Round of 8 on points. He originally left Talladega 57 points to the good. Now, he has even fewer concerns heading to the road course.
The ripple effects continue with Austin Hill and Cole Custer, who both move to 37 points above the cutline. Sheldon Creed is 32 points above the cutline. Jesse Love is 22 points above the cutline and Riley Herbst is 20 points above.
This disqualification marks Mayer's eighth time finishing 30th or worse this season. He did so four times in the first six weeks of the season, three times due to crashes. He then finished 36th in the spring race at Talladega after a crash.
Mayer then finished 37th at both Indianapolis and Michigan due to crashes. He also finished 36th at Atlanta in September due to a crash.