Sam Mayer breaks wall in massive restart pileup, collecting over 20 cars

A restart early in the final stage at San Diego, Sam Mayer clipped the inside wall, shooting him across the nose of Anthony Alfredo and directly into the concrete wall lining the outside of Turn 1.

At least 23 cars were involved in the violent crash according to The CW, and NASCAR immediately red-flagged the event. It was the second red flag of the race, with the first one caused by a metal cover that came up and damaged a car.

Mayer was uninjured, but very upset over the radio. “I have to be one of the worst race cars drivers to ever touch this sport,” said Mayer. “I’m so sorry. Embarrassing.”

While the wreck began with Mayer and Alfredo clobbering the outside wall, moving it several feet, several drivers directly behind them had nowhere to go.

More angles of the crash. https://t.co/KMsZWge1wzpic.twitter.com/WvQKR7124C

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) June 20, 2026

Among those who sustained damage were Brent Crews, Sammy Smith, William Sawalich, and Jesse Love. A preliminary list of car numbers listed as involved in the incident: 0, 00, 2, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 31, 32, 39, 41, 42, 44, 50, 51, 55, 87, 88, 92, 96.

NASCAR couldn’t just put the wall back in place, and track workers had to fully remove the affected section and replace it.

More to follow…

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