What exactly is an odyssey? According to Merriam-Webster, it’s “a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune.”
That’s essentially the NASCAR career for Ryan Sieg of RSS Racing, one of the few small, family-owned and operated race teams still competing at a high level in NASCAR.
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Sieg’s NASCAR career began with a Truck Series debut in 2009, racing at Martinsville. Since then, he has started 538 races across all three national divisions of NASCAR, but it was only this past weekend where he finally reached Victory Lane…17 years after that debut.
424 of those starts have taken place in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where Sieg had spent the last 13 years of his life. In that time, he earned 24 top fives, 81 top tens, and led over 500 laps before finally reaching Victory Lane.
Ryan Sieg, No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Sieg, No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet
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Just a couple of weeks ago at Iowa, he earned his first-ever pole. Sieg first earned a runner-up finish (also at Iowa) in 2017, finishing 1.1-seconds behind William Byron in a JR Motorsports entry.Ā
Less than a month later, tragedy struck the Sieg family as Ryan’s older brother Shane, a former NASCAR driver himself, died suddenly at the age of 34. But just like everyone else in the garage when the unimaginable becomes reality, they kept on racing.
Sieg’s next runner-up finish came at Talladega 2020, finishing second to Justin Haley under caution. It wasn’t untilĀ Las Vegas 2024 when it happened again, finishing just a couple of car lengths behindĀ AJ Allmendinger at the checkered flag. Then Talladega 2024, again, right behind Sammy Smith as he crossed the finish line.
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Texas 2024 was especially brutal, losing in a dramatic photo finish to Sam Mayer. They slammed doors in the run to the finish, only for Sieg to lose by a mere 0.002s. It was a brutal defeat for Sieg and it began to feel like he may never win.Ā “It just sucks,” he said after the race. “I’ve been second before too many times…We gotta keep fighting.”
That’s five runner-up finishes, but Victory Lane continued to elude him.
As a team, RSS Racing finally won a race at Sonoma in 2023, with Aric Almirola driving a car Stewart-Haas Racing helped to prepare. But still, Sieg himself was left searching for his moment.
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Race winner Aric Almirola, RSS Racing, Ford Mustang
Race winner Aric Almirola, RSS Racing, Ford Mustang
Sieg spent most of his career driving the No. 39, but just so happened to be driving the No. 38 this weekend. They were trying to ensure Andy Jankowiak would make the field, so Sieg switched cars with him.
Sieg started 12th and was a non-factor for most of the night, scoring no stage points. But as the laps ticked away, he quietly moved closer to the sharp end of the field.
On the final restart, he was lined up second on the inside, and when Carson Kvapil moved up the track ahead of teammate Justin Allgaier, Sieg was suddenly leading the bottom. And finally, some good fortune was about to fall his way as the undisputed king of NASCAR O’Reilly superspeedway racing was glued to his back bumper. Austin Hill gave Sieg a mighty shove into the lead, and he never gave it back.
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Sieg blocked both lanes for the final two laps — the only two laps he led all night — and finally, he claimed his very first win as NASCAR driver. His family was right there with him, including brother Kyle (who was also in the race) and father Rod, who started this racing journey for the Sieg family.
Ryan Sieg, No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Sieg, No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet
“This is incredible,” said Sieg after the big win. “Especially doing it here at Daytona. I’ve been coming here since I was a baby.”
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At 424 races, it’s the most starts ever before a driver’s first NASCARĀ O’Reilly win in the history of the division. Sieg is actually inside the top ten for most NASCAR O’Reilly starts, so that’s likely a record we won’t see broken for a very long time. It even rivals the Cup record, with Michael Waltrip winning his first race in his 463rd career start.
It may not have included monsters and vengeful Greek gods, but Sieg’s odyssey was still full of hardship, adversity, and after 17 years of perseverance, triumph. Sieg is now 39 years old,Ā but he isn’t slowing down any time soon…there’s more races to be won.
Read Also:
Ryan Sieg wins first NASCAR O’Reilly race after 13 years of trying
NASCAR Cup Daytona starting lineup: Ross Chastain wins pole position
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