Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Collection 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 Collection 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 beneath the playoff cutline. Nevertheless, 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 presumably save his season and the opposite in search of 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 realize each attainable 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 just some hundred ft, whereas Mayer doubtless 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 gained an additional $100,000 together with his win on Saturday, ending forward of fellow Sprint 4 Money rivals in Justin Allgaier, (third) Chandler Smith (fifteenth) and Sheldon Creed (nineteenth).
“The quantity of adversity we have needed to battle this whole yr up to now, to return to a mile and a half that I need to say I am good at, it took each ounce of me to try this in the present day,” Mayer mentioned. “My spotter (Kevin Hamlin) might have gained that race as a result of he instructed me the underside of three and 4 was higher, so props to him.”
Mayer might be entered within the Sprint 4 Money program once more subsequent week at Talladega, and if he can end above his fellow rivals once more, will win one other $100,000 bonus.
Whereas Mayer and the No. 1 group celebrated, Sieg and the No. 39 group stood on pit street, considering what they may’ve carried out in a different way within the closing laps.
“It sucks. We had a very good automotive, simply received tight on the finish. I attempted to vary my line and do various things,” Sieg mentioned, 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, you realize. 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 might 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 Collection historical past.
There is a sturdy probability of one other picture end for the Xfinity Collection subsequent weekend as nicely, because the collection heads to the excessive banks of Talladega Superspeedway. The inexperienced flag for subsequent week’s race is ready to fly at 4 p.m. ET and can air on Fox, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
