Sam Mayer Tops Larson for O'Reilly Series Pole at Las Vegas

Mayer clocks fastest qualifying time to earn first Las Vegas pole position

Mar. 14, 2026 at 7:03pm

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Sam Mayer, driving the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet Camaro, secured the pole position for Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mayer recorded a lap time of 29.462 seconds (183.287 mph), edging out two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson by 0.062 seconds.

Why it matters

Mayer's pole position is his sixth in 154 career O'Reilly Series starts and his first-ever at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The result highlights the benefits of Mayer's team alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, which helped provide the speed needed to top the highly competitive field.

The details

Mayer credited the Hendrick Motorsports alliance and the help of teammate Sheldon Creed, who qualified third, for giving him the edge in qualifying. The top five starters also include Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones, showcasing the depth of talent in the O'Reilly Series field.

  • Sam Mayer recorded his qualifying lap on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

The players

Sam Mayer

The driver of the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet Camaro, who secured the pole position for Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson

A two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who qualified second, 0.062 seconds behind Mayer.

Sheldon Creed

Mayer's teammate, who qualified third for the race.

Sammy Smith

The driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, who qualified fourth.

Brandon Jones

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra, who qualified fifth.

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What they’re saying

“Huge shoutout to the alliance cars. Having that in our corner is really good for us because we can kind of put our notes together and work together really well. So, it helped us out. Having Cole in the field helped a lot, too. Just kind of knowing what the track has, what each kind of car is fighting or not fighting.”

— Sam Mayer (si.com)

What’s next

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2026.

The takeaway

Mayer's pole-winning performance showcases the benefits of his team's alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, as well as the depth of talent in the highly competitive O'Reilly Series field.