Ty Gibbs Calls Out Fellow Cup Series Drivers Over Digital Mirror Use
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver, Ty Gibbs, has had his fair share of controversies in his short career, but this…
Though the NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season Rumor Mill may have gone quiet, things are heating up in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage.
While some teams have already made their announcements for returning drivers, such as Joe Gibbs Racing and drivers William Sawalich and Taylor Gray, the OAP Series Silly Season really kicked off this past weekend.
After two seasons with Sam Hunt Racing and four with Toyota, Dean Thompson signed with the Haas Factory Team to drive a new third Chevrolet entry for the team in 2027.
At the time, team president Joe Custer was hesitant to confirm their future lineup for their No. 00 and No. 41 entries, currently driven by Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer, respectively.
But now a new rumor is making the rounds in the online NASCAR community, suggesting that at least one of those drivers could be on his way out for 2027.
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver, Ty Gibbs, has had his fair share of controversies in his short career, but this…
Tuesday, a social media account well known in the NASCAR community for sharing rumors in the sport posted that, per a source, Sam Mayer is looking to return to JR Motorsports in 2027.
Furthermore, this could be part of a larger Silly Season move revolving around JRM driver Sammy Smith, whom the poster said “could be leaving JRM, perhaps filling in the Mayer seat.”
While no reports indicate this could be on the table for either party, and after all, rumors are just rumors, it does propose a swap that could benefit both drivers.
First, let’s look at Mayer.
After success in lower divisions of racing, Mayer made his NASCAR OAP Series debut with JRM in 2021 before going full-time in 2022. During his time behind the wheel of the team’s No. 1 car, the Wisconsin native saw plenty of ups and downs, but proved to be a solid bet on road courses.
When Mayer left the team at the end of the 2024 season, some saw it as a demotion; still, he managed a career-best average finish of 11.5 with HFT.
Since their move to Chevrolet this season, Mayer has fallen back to his numbers prior to leaving JRM, but Silly Season rumors have persisted for Mayer in both the Cup and O’Reilly rumor mills.
If he wanted to move up but didn’t have a spot in the Cup Series, why not move to Chevrolet, or at the very least, the Hendrick alliance’s best OAP Series team in JRM if a spot were to open up?
That is an even bigger question, as while Sammy Smith is not as experienced as Mayer, the 22-year-old is having a career-best season at JRM despite failing to find victory lane.
If he were looking for a change of scenery, Smith would be an attractive option for teams, with his ties to sponsors Pilot and Allstate Peterbilt Group.
Of course, even then, as has been the case for some time, sponsors do come and go.
While neither driver has indicated their plans to move on from their respective teams, and neither team has announced their departure, this rumor is one that could be worth watching out for as we near the end of the 2026 season.
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