Sieg brothers seize Phoenix opportunity in spades despite finish
AVONDALE, Ariz. — The results won’t show it but brothers Kyle and Ryan Sieg each seized upon a great opportunity for their career in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
Kyle Sieg took his turn in the family’s main No. 39 Ford while brother Ryan Sieg filled in for Sam Mayer, who was suspended from driving his No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford after an incident at Martinsville Speedway.
By lap 153 of 200, Ryan Sieg battled Christian Eckes for sixth while Kyle Sieg ran inside the top 10. However, a lap later, Kyle drove by Ryan as he walked to the ambulance, shaking his head as he tried to fathom fathom how the biggest opportunity of his career ended so suddenly in his milestone 400th start.
A replay showed Eckes bumped Ryan Sieg as they went into turn three, sending Sieg into the outside wall and ending his night just shy of a big finish.
Kyle Sieg restarted with a chance at a big finish and was shaping up to get it in the closing laps, running 10th after the restart. Ultimately, he finished 12th.
While neither brother closed the stellar night with a top-10 finish, the race produced some moments worthy of the family scrapbook. The brothers raced wheel-to-wheel on several occasions and Kyle — in his 114th start — passed Ryan at one point.
Kyle Sieg showed his talent Saturday night and tied the September 2023 Texas race for his third-best, non-superspeedway finish. Sieg’s best non-SS finish is 11th — earlier this season at Las Vegas and in May of 2023 at the Charlotte oval.
The night was strong for not only the Sieg brothers but also teammate Nick Leitz who finished 20th on the night. Leitz’s 20th-place finish is his second-best, non-SS finish of his career.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com