So close, yet so far! RSS Racing driver Ryan Sieg was forced to settle for yet another runner-up finish in the Xfinity Series, narrowly missing out on Victory Lane at the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Driving the No. 28 Ford for only the second time this season, the 37-year-old racing driver had the faster car in comparison to eventual winner AJ Allmendinger, as the two veterans battled it out on the 1.5-mile track.

With the stakes higher than ever, two cautions flown late in the race added to the drama, prompting a nail-biting finish in the opening Round of Eight playoff fixture. Visibly disappointed after the checkered flag was waved, a dejected Sieg shared details about the outcome in the post-race interview.

Ryan Sieg rues missed opportunity at Las Vegas

Tensions were high at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With four races remaining before the Xfinity Series ends, victory in the opening Round of Eight playoff race would guarantee a title contender a spot at Phoenix Raceway. While Ryan Sieg was competing for nothing but pride, the veteran racing driver had a point to prove. Despite competing in NASCAR’s second tier for over a decade, the Georgia native hasn’t secured a single victory yet, even though he has come agonizingly close on several occasions. Just this year, he has already finished runner-up in Texas, Talladega, and most recently, in Las Vegas.

With just 0.156 seconds separating the two drivers, Ryan Sieg was asked by NASCAR on TSN if he could have won the Ambetter Health 302. The RSS Racing driver candidly replied, “Oh yeah, for sure. The best car on the longer run and I needed the longer run. We were getting there. I just overdrove on Turn 1 and got loose and we lost some of our track position. I was able to gain it back but it sucks to finish second again with a great car like we had earlier in Texas. One of these days is gonna go our way. We got our car as fast as Xfinity internet but we didn’t get Victory Lane.”

The stage was set for AJ Allmendinger to secure a spot in the Championship 4. With 30 laps to go, Allmendinger’s No. 16 Chevy had a comfortable three-second lead in the race. However, Kyle Sieg spun out and brought about a caution, allowing his older brother to chase the Kaulig Racing driver on the restart. Charging for the lead, Ryan Sieg managed to take a temporary lead with under 10 laps to go but fell back to second after getting loose. However, the drama was far from over, as yet another caution was introduced when Sammy Smith stalled on Lap 196, forcing a two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

Allmendinger and Sieg lined up on the front row for the final restart, but it was the No. 16 Chevy that prevailed after getting a big push from Justin Allgaier. Even though Ryan Sieg managed to close him down, it wasn’t enough to make the race-winning pace to secure his first victory of the season. As a result, the Georgia native settled for his third runner-up finish of the season, a heartbreaking outcome for what was otherwise an impressive display.

Kyle and Ryan Sieg swap numbers for the remainder of the season

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Having driven the No. 39 Ford for the opening 28 races of the season, fans were left confused when Ryan Sieg was behind the wheel of the No. 28 car at the Charlotte Roval. With both drivers out of contention for the title, the decision to make the swap was RSS Racing’s attempt at improving the No. 28 Ford Mustang’s position for next year. The veteran racing driver had driven the No. 39 to a 14th-place position in the Xfinity Series standings while the car driven by his younger brother Kyle Sieg was languishing in 29th place.

It seems like the team’s decision has paid off so far. Ryan Sieg guided his new car to a 17th-place result at the Charlotte Roval and improved on that performance with a runner-up finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If the trajectory continues, RSS Racing’s second car will be allowed to qualify for races early in the 2025 Xfinity Series campaign, which could prove to be a significant boost for the racing team.

With three more races remaining, the 37-year-old racing driver could use his wealth of experience to further improve his team’s owner standings. As things stand, RSS Racing is currently 26th on the table after 28 attempts, with one top-five and two top-ten results recorded all season. As for Ryan Sieg, the veteran will continue his hunt for his first victory in NASCAR’s second tier, having already made 364 Xfinity Series appearances in over a decade.