"What a heartbreak"; "Nobody wanted Sam Mayer": NASCAR fans split as JRM's driver inches past Ryan Sieg in Texas Xfinity race

The NASCAR fanbase has opined on Sam Mayer's white flag move over the JR Motorsports rival Ryan Sieg that robbed the latter of his first-ever Xfinity Series win.

The 200-lap Andy's Frozen Custard 300 run at the Texas Motor Speedway witnessed Mayer etching his first Xfinity Series win of the season after dethroning Sieg in the final lap battle at the 1.5-mile oval. Sam's teammate Justin Allgaier led a race-high 117 laps and registered both stage wins under his name, but fell shy of maintaining his dominance on the asphalt, coming home with a P3 finish.

After leading 17 of the remaining 18 laps at Texas, Ryan Sieg was on the verge of claiming his first Xfinity Series win from his 342 career starts, but things took a turn in the final lap. As the #39 Ford driver rushed towards the checkered flag, his pursuit was followed by Sam Mayer in his #1 Chevrolet.

However, while paving the way to glory, Mayer and Sieg got into a door-to-door battle wherein the structures of their high-octane cars were almost kissing the rival's ride. Nevertheless, the JRM driver brushed past the RSS Racing driver to secure his first win by a minuscule margin of 0.002 seconds.

The adrenaline-packed final round seemingly didn't sit well with the fans as they took a jibe at the 5x Xfinity Series race winner for almost wrecking and spinning out Ryan Sieg's ride and robbing him of his first NASCAR victory.

Several NASCAR fans gave their thoughts on the result, with one expressing his "heartbreak" upon seeing Sieg come second, writing (via X):

"We were all rooting for sieg, what a heartbreak"

Another user took a dig at Sam Mayer for his risky final-lap move, commenting:

"Nobody wnated mayer"

One fan poked fun at Sieg for his 0.002 seconds worth of margin of defeat, adding:

"If Sieg hadn't shaved this morning, that extra length his whisker would have provided him would have given him a first place finish!"

A user, @Man VS Cube, gave his verdict, declaring Sieg as the winner and not Mayer, writing:

"RYAN SIEG WON THIS RACE!!! NOT SAM MAYER!!! IT WAS SIEG!!!"

One fan joked about the door-to-door battle between the two, commenting:

"Ryan CHOKED!! 😂"

Another user wrote:

"Mayer sucks"

Ryan Sieg reflects on his outing after defeat to Sam Mayer

Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing secured the top place for the eighth Xfinity Series weekend. On the other side, race winner Sam Mayer began his run in P10, while runner-up Ryan Sieg began his 200-lap dash four places behind in P14.

Mayer's entry into the current season started on a lackluster note, courtesy of three DNFs from the first four races on the calendar. Nevertheless, the Wisconsin native showed his supremacy at the Texas Motor Speedway, leading five laps and ultimately taking home the win.

For Ryan Sieg, the outing was mere seconds away from becoming his first-ever race win, but his weak defense against the charging Mayer snatched his probable P1 spot. Post his near miss of the triumph, the Georgian native opened up on his dismal outing, saying (via NASCAR):

"Awe, it sucks. We had a really good car. I just got tight, so tried to change my lines, do everything. I saw him [Sam Mayer] coming, and I did all I could do, and at the end, I was just trying to run him up into the wall to try to win the race. We were so close. This sucks."

Sieg currently stands 11th in the drivers' championship following his runner-up finish in Texas.