"I should have ran Sam Mayer into the wall harder”: Ryan Sieg reflects on a tough Xfinity loss after losing the race by 0.002 seconds

The Xfinity Series weekend for driver Ryan Sieg ended on a rather dismal note as he outlined his saddening P2 finish after getting robbed by Sam Mayer on the final round of the 200-lap dash at the Texas Motor Speedway.

The eighth Xfinity Series weekend got done and dusted, with JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer bagging his maiden triumph of the season. After a saddening three DNFs from the first four stints in 2024, the Wisconsin native bagged the win, after an extremely close final-lap battle.

With just 18 laps until the checkered flag dropped, Sieg took charge for the first time at the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 and maintained his supremacy for the next 17 laps. However, as the white flag was issued, the #1 Chevy driver dashed towards his rival's #39 Ford, indulging in a bumper-to-bumper fight before finally claiming the win.

The photo finish at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway witnessed Sam Mayer reign supreme by a historic margin of 0.002 seconds, marking the 200-lap run as the closest-ever Xfinity Series race finish at Texas. On the other hand, Ryan Sieg's outing suffered a fatal blow as he missed his first-ever Xfinity win despite having a staggering 342 career starts.

Sieg reflected on his tough loss after the race, jokingly saying that he should have run Mayer harder into the wall.

"I was doing like I do, I should have ran [Mayer] into the wall harder, I guess. Tried to win the race...it sucks. We ran good, we got more to gain. We'll keep gaining on it and we'll be with the Chevrolets, the Toyotas...we're close," Sieg told Frontstretch.

Sam Mayer weighs in on "absolutely unreal" display at the Texas Motor Speedway

Mayer emerged victorious for the first time this season after a tumultuous entry into the current Xfinity Series calendar. With his triumph at the Andy's Frozen Custard 300, the 20-year-old now has five NASCAR Xfinity wins under his belt.

However, the odds of claiming the highly-coveted win were slim owing to his P10 start and no stage win. With just 9 laps underway, Ryan Sieg led the pack with a 1.2-second margin over Mayer. Nevertheless, as the laps progressed, the #1 Chevrolet driver started gaining on the race leader, and before the duo crossed the finish line, the Georgian boy ultimately took the lead.

After coming home with a photo-finish by a whisker gap of 0.002 seconds, Sam Mayer reflected on his run, saying (via NASCAR):

"That‘s absolutely unreal. This team, the amount of adversity we‘ve had to fight this entire year so far and to come to a mile-and-a-half that I want to say I‘m good at, but it took a lot. It took every ounce of me for me to do that today."

Sam Mayer is currently 14th in the Drivers' Championship following his victory at the Andy Custard 300.