Ryan Sieg wins Daytona overtime for first NASCAR victory
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 29, 2026
Sieg’s breakthrough
Ryan Sieg broke through at Daytona International Speedway, winning the Winn-Dixie 250 in overtime for the first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of his career. The driver of the No. 38 RSS Racing Chevrolet turned a long chase into a first-place finish in his 424th series start, and the result ended a decade-long winless streak for RSS Racing. Sieg got to the finish line 0.149 seconds ahead of Austin Hill after the race tightened into one final overtime run. Daytona gave him no room to waste a restart or a lane, and Sieg made the most of the opening when it came. The win gave him a long-awaited place in the series record book and rewarded a team that had gone years without celebrating a victory. It also showed how one clean restart can change everything at a track where the lead changes hands fast and the margin for error disappears in a hurry. For Sieg, the breakthrough carried the weight of a career milestone and the satisfaction of closing the deal in one of the sport’s most pressure-packed finishes.
Overtime restart
Sieg won the race with a sharp move from the second row on the overtime restart. He got enough track position to challenge immediately and passed JR Motorsports teammates Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier in the decisive sprint to the checkered flag. Kvapil had controlled much of the race, leading a race-high 50 laps, but the late restart erased that advantage and turned the final laps into a straight fight to the line. Allgaier finished sixth, while Sieg used the clean launch off the restart to keep his lane open and make the pass count before the field could settle. Daytona often gives drivers one shot to read the traffic, keep momentum and find a gap, and Sieg found his at the right time. Hill stayed close enough to pressure him, but Sieg held the advantage to the finish. The overtime format left the race in the hands of the front runners, and Sieg handled the moment better than anyone else in the lead group. That closing sequence decided the race more than the laps before it and sent Sieg across the line with the first win of his series career.
Chase field
The victory also helped set the postseason picture. The race finalized the 12-driver Chase field, with Taylor Gray and Rajah Caruth earning the final two berths. William Sawalich and Brent Crews were eliminated from title contention when the field locked in at the finish. Behind Sieg, the top five included Hill in second, Kvapil in third, Anthony Alfredo in fourth and Brandon Jones in fifth, a group that reflected how tightly the race stayed bunched when it mattered most. Sieg’s win changed the tone of the night because it did more than deliver a first career victory. It closed the door on one chapter for RSS Racing and opened another for the playoff race ahead. For a team that had waited a decade for a series win, the payoff arrived in overtime at Daytona. For the drivers fighting for the last Chase spots, the result settled the cutoff in the final moments and sent the bracket into the next round with Gray and Caruth in. The race left Sieg with the trophy, RSS Racing with its first win in years and the title field complete.
