Did Ryan Sieg Do Enough on the Last Lap at Texas?

Ryan Sieg and Sam Mayer combined for one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history last Saturday (April 13) in the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mayer passed him going into turn 3, leaving the bottom wide open for Sieg who was able to get position on him exiting the turn. They merged together at the finish line just .002 seconds apart — the contour of the older Camaro’s nose edging out the new shorter, squared off Mustang front end.

While gunning for his first win and a playoff spot, did Sieg make the right call coming to the line? This week Brad Harrison and Vito Pugliese compare notes on the last lap action in 2-Headed Monster.

Easier to Ask Forgiveness Than Permission

Wins are hard to come by in NASCAR; just ask Chase Elliott who snapped a winless stretch dating back to October of 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway this past Sunday (April 14). As Mark Martin once said after snapping a winless streak that was going on almost two years, ‘You never know when your last win is going to be.’ For some drivers, that first win just never manages to materialize. Corey LaJoie and Matt DiBenedetto come to mind in the NASCAR Cup Series, both leading with a race seemingly in hand, unable to see it through to the finish – and still working to get back in position to have a shot again.

All of this begs the question, should Ryan Sieg have been a little more aggressive coming to the line with his first career win on the line?

It’s not an easy question to answer.

First of all, I’ve never been in a position to win a race as Sieg was. The Man in the Arena personified; there’s a million things going on at the same time, amplified by the emotion and gravity of the moment. Couple this with having to fend off a winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with newer tires and closing at a high rate of speed is a juggling act that few are able to master.

Thirty years ago, Sieg’s defense coming to the line is what would have been expected from a veteran. Twenty years ago, some additional contact would have probably been accepted. In the last 10 years or so, it has degenerated into a free for all, with an ends justify the means mentality that has tainted and cheapened a lot of last lap finishes. Racing with honor and wanting to do things the right way is admirable and hopefully it will be repaid one day.

But I gotta say … using up some capital on a first win might not be the worst thing in the world.

Sieg currently…