Could Michigan Finally Be Creed’s Winning Moment?

Sheldon Creed is still seeking his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win after 10 runner-ups. (Lesley Ann Miller/LAT for Toyota Racing photo)

BROOKLYN, Mich. – With no signs of rust following the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ three-week Olympic break, Sheldon Creed asserted himself as the fastest man at Michigan Int’l Speedway in a hurry this weekend.

For the second time in his last three starts, the Alpine, Calif., driver will lead the field to green from the pole position, with a legitimate shot at capturing the first win that has eluded him thus far.

After his 90th start in the Xfinity Series ranks saw the 26-year-old come home fifth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Creed was propelled into the Cabo Wabo 250 festivities with the momentum of back-to-back top-five finishes.

Success at the Brickyard could also pay off in a huge way for Creed and company, as the 2.5-mile IMS oval and two-mile Michigan layout are the only two venues where a unique combination of an intermediate track aerodynamic package and superspeedway engine package is being applied.

Creed’s pole-winning lap saw the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra clock in at 171.645 mph (41.947 seconds), with Riley Herbst joining him on the front row.

That lap was just the lead-in to a monumental weekend for Creed, who announced Saturday morning that he’ll move to Haas Factory Team in 2025 as part of a multi-year deal in the Xfinity Series.

“There was a lot to learn at Indy,” Creed said. “I felt like we did a really good job over our three-week break on taking what we learned at Indy to make our car better, and I felt really good about practice. Hats off to my guys on bringing an extremely fast race car.

“I've just been trying to get through these speedway-style tracks, so I think we surprised ourselves today. Our car is really fast for this weekend, which is really nice for really not having this (race) circled. We have nine top fives, but we need to clean up our races a little bit to get better stage points.”

The question gets raised almost every race weekend at this point, but with numbers too good to ignore – could Michigan be where we see Creed’s first win?

During Friday’s practice session, Creed logged a total of 14 laps and posted the third-fastest overall time at 173.027 mph (41.612 seconds), behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammates John Hunter Nemechek and Chandler Smith. He also put together the second-best 10-lap average.

Not only did Gibbs-prepared Toyotas sweep the top-three fastest speeds in practice, they’ve also won the last two races at Michigan – yet another thing going in Creed’s favor.

With six races until the playoffs, Creed is 69 points above the cutoff and having a career-best season with his aforementioned nine top five finishes.

While the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion has finished as the runner-up an agonizing 10 times in the Xfinity Series, he is a past Michigan winner in the ARCA Menards Series.

Given his current stretch and the evident speed shown leading into the Cabo Wabo 250, who’s to say Creed can’t get it done again in Michigan?

“I feel like we've been really consistent,” Creed said. “Even if we have had issues lately, we're in the top-five when they come. So, yeah, I feel really good about where our team's headed. Starting from the pole is going to help.

“Track position was really important at Indy, so I think that's going to be equally as important (in the race), and just need to be there at the end.”

Broadcast coverage of the Cabo Wabo 250 is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, live on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.