In a season that gave Ryan Sieg the largest heartbreak of his profession, he has an opportunity to get off the ground and punch again.
The 37-year-old NASCAR Xfinity Collection veteran sits thirteenth on the playoff grid, simply 11 factors out of the final spot with 9 regular-season races remaining.
If Sieg had been to make the postseason, it might be the fourth time within the final six seasons that the Tucker, Ga., native finds himself with an opportunity at claiming the championship.
Nevertheless, incomes a postseason bid this season could go down as Sieg’s magnum opus —the one accomplishment that everybody will level to as soon as he finally hangs up his helmet.
After coming inside inches of successful his first profession NASCAR race at Texas earlier within the season, Sieg — a veteran of over 350 Xfinity Collection races — seemingly used his heartbreak as motivation. He hasn’t set the world on hearth since his close to miss at Texas, however he is been quietly constant, scoring eight top-20 finishes within the final 9 races with a finest end of sixth at New Hampshire.
Saturday’s race at Chicago does not stand out as a chance for a win (Sieg completed twenty fifth in final 12 months’s 25-lap rain-shortened occasion), however in a race that’s more likely to be among the many wackiest of the 12 months, Sieg may discover himself in a very good place late.
In spite of everything, Sieg has seen three of his 4 top-10 finishes of 2024 are available races that featured late-race restarts and chaos. At Charlotte, New Hampshire and Texas, Sieg took benefit of late restarts to realize positions, almost successful Texas within the course of.
Whereas it is true {that a} foot or two at Texas could be the distinction in Sieg making or lacking the postseason, he hasn’t allowed that near-win to pull into his different performances.
And, finally, that focus could possibly be sufficient to land him on the within of the bubble on the finish of the common season.
