Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Sequence race at Texas Motor Speedway took two and a half hours to finish, however the race winner was determined by simply a few inches.
After a late cost by veteran driver Ryan Sieg, it appeared he was destined to win his first profession Xfinity Sequence race in his 342nd profession begin. Sam Mayer, nevertheless, had different plans.
Mayer entered the 2024 season as a title favourite, however one yr after a breakout season in 2023, he’d struggled within the early portion of the season, coming into Saturday’s race simply sixteenth within the playoff standings, 19 factors under the playoff cutline. Nonetheless, a win would robotically qualify both driver into the playoffs, and guarantee them an opportunity to chase the championship within the fall.
With one driver seeking to probably save his season and the opposite on the lookout for his first NASCAR win, one thing needed to give. Popping out of flip 4 on the ultimate lap, each drivers slammed into one another on the entrance stretch, attempting to achieve each potential inch over their competitor.
What adopted was, as they are saying, a second in historical past.
Sieg went from experiencing the enjoyment of victory to experiencing the agony of defeat in only a few hundred ft, whereas Mayer possible saved his championship hopes with a win that will get JR Motorsports its first checkered flag of the 2024 season.
By way of the Sprint 4 Money program, Mayer additionally received an additional $100,000 together with his win on Saturday, ending forward of fellow Sprint 4 Money opponents in Justin Allgaier, (third) Chandler Smith (fifteenth) and Sheldon Creed (nineteenth).
“The quantity of adversity we have needed to combat this complete yr up to now, to come back to a mile and a half that I wish to say I am good at, it took each ounce of me to try this at this time,” Mayer said. “My spotter (Kevin Hamlin) might have received that race as a result of he informed me the underside of three and 4 was higher, so props to him.”
Mayer can be entered within the Sprint 4 Money program once more subsequent week at Talladega, and if he can end above his fellow opponents once more, will win one other $100,000 bonus.
Whereas Mayer and the No. 1 staff celebrated, Sieg and the No. 39 staff stood on pit street, considering what they may’ve completed in a different way within the closing laps.
“It sucks. We had a very good automotive, simply obtained tight on the finish. I attempted to vary my line and do various things,” Sieg stated, documenting the ultimate run of the race. “I noticed (Mayer) coming and on the finish I used to be simply attempting to run him within the wall and win the race, we’re so shut, . It simply sucks. I have been in second too many occasions.”
Whereas Sieg was in a position to drive away from the sector on the final restart, together with the dominant automotive on the day in Allgaier, Mayer had simply sufficient in his Camaro to run him again down and take dwelling a win that can be taking part in on the spotlight reels for the top of time. The end is formally the second-closest margin of victory in NASCAR Xfinity Sequence historical past.
There is a robust probability of one other photograph end for the Xfinity Sequence subsequent weekend as nicely, because the sequence heads to the excessive banks of Talladega Superspeedway. The inexperienced flag for subsequent week’s race is about to fly at 4 p.m. ET and can air on Fox, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
