NASCAR driver and Franklin native Sam Mayer will be part of Franklin's Fourth of July parade

Sam Mayer drives the No. 1 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.

But on July 4, the Franklin native will be riding along in a Camaro a lot slower than he’s used to while participating in Franklin’s Fourth of July parade, according to a June 27 news release from the city.

His family, including his father Scott Mayer, a former IndyCar Series driver, will join him.

“It’s always great to get the chance to come back to my hometown and see all my family and friends,” the 21-year-old Mayer said in a statement. “In having such a busy race schedule, it is super nice to have a track like the Chicago Street Course in the lineup and be so close to home, and it gives me the opportunity to be a part of events like the Fourth of July Parade in Franklin.”

The children’s parade begins at 10:30 a.m. while the main parade starts at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 4. The route starts on the corner of West Forest Hill Avenue and South Loomis Road, goes north to West Drexel Avenue, turns east and ends at Lions Legend Park.

Mayer’s first NASCAR career victory happened during the Craftsman Truck Series race in 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway, according to his official biography on NASCAR.com. Just 17 at the time, Mayer became NASCAR’s second-youngest winner.

Mayer is a six-time winner in the Xfinity Series, according to his biography. His first time in victory lane in the series was at Road America in July 2023.

His most recent victory happened at the Hy-Vee Perks 250 in Iowa on June 15 ― his second win of the 2024 season.

Mayer is in his third full-time year driving in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, according to the release.

He is currently ranked 10th and has secured a spot in the playoffs with two wins, seven top five finishes and eight top 10 finishes this season. A memorable win this season came at Texas Motor Speedway with the second closest finish in Xfinity Series history when Mayer won by 0.002 seconds.

Contact Erik S. Hanley aterik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page,The Redheadliner, and follow him on X@Redheadliner.