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Dale Earnhardt Jr's pupil Sam Mayer edged out RSS Racing driver Ryan Sieg in a thrilling photo finish at Texas Motor Speedway, denying Sieg his first Xfinity win and a spot in the playoffs.
Ryan Sieg was poised to get a victory in the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 at the mile-and-half oval, as he surged into the lead in the final laps of the race. However, JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer was in hot pursuit in the final 10 laps. In an exhilarating finish, Mayer managed to snatch the win from Sieg by a margin of 0.002 seconds.
JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr was thrilled to see his car in victory lane, but was also upset for Ryan Sieg and RSS Racing who lost out on a race win by a whisker. He also conveyed his admiration and empathy for the family-run team.
In the latest episode of GO PRN's The Pit Reporters, Brett McMillan welcomed Fox's Adam Alexander and Zach Sturniolo. McMillan praised Dale Jr.'s respect and empathy for his competition, with Alexander adding that Dale Jr. was a "bad owner" but later heaped praise on him for his commitment and contributions to the series.
"I would say this though, Dale Jr. is probably a bad owner to get an opinion from because here is someone who can appreciate Ryan Sieg and his story better than anyone. He truly is involved, whether its the TV stuff he does in the second half or just his intimate relationship with the Xfinity Series because of the role it's played in his career," said Alexander. [26:25]
"We all know Dale's a historian and someone who's always giving back. He respects everyone around him... he has a true appreciation for the Sieg family and that race team is all about."
Ryan Sieg could only equal his best finish in the Xfiinty Series at Texas Motor Speedway. He is yet to visit victory lane having made his debut more than a decade ago in 2013, with 342 starts under his belt.
Dale Earnhardt Jr reacts to "thrilling finish" at Texas Motor Speedway
Sam Mayer and JR Motorsports endured a tough start to their 2024 campaign and turned around their fortunes in recent races. Following a second-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Mayer delivered the first win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. this season.
Dale Jr. took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his excitement at the thrilling finish to the race. He also expressed his sympathy for Ryan Sieg and his team for coming perilously close to winning the race. He wrote:
"Holy [sh*t] what a finish @sam_mayer_ @JRMotorsports... Man that was thrilling. Part of me really wanted that one for @RyanSiegRacing because they put so much into their program to be competitive."
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team kicked off their weekend at Talladega with Sammy Smith starting fifth, Sam Mayer and teammate Justin Allgaier sharing the eighth row and Brandon Jones in 23rd for the Ag-Pro 300, scheduled for April 20 at 4 PM ET.
