Creed Fights Through Chicago Field Before Late Spin

Sheldon Creed in action at the Chicago Street Course. (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

CHICAGO – Sheldon Creed saw a promising NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Chicago Street Course go sour in the final laps Saturday due to a late spin.

Driving the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Creed rallied through the field from the tail and was in position for a top-five finish, only to be turned around with less than three laps left off the front bumper of Parker Kligerman at turn 11.

The day started out rough for the Alpine, Calif., native, after an engine failure at the end of practice prevented Creed from making a qualifying lap and forced him to start 37th.

However, a fast race car allowed Creed to power forward and he ended up 12th at the end of stage one.

Creed kept passing cars and earned six stage points by finishing fifth in stage two, and he remained a contender inside the top five throughout the final stage, despite not having quite enough pace to contend with the likes of NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and eventual race winner Shane van Gisbergen.

He lined up fifth for the final restart of the day, slotting into fourth at turn one and appearing to be on his way to a solid result. However, a charging Kligerman got to the rear quarter panel of Creed’s Toyota before the 26-year-old realized he was there, leading to the contact that spun him at turn 11.

That left Creed with a 26th-place finish that wasn’t representative of his strong afternoon.

“Sometimes it’s just not your day when it counts,” said Creed. “We’ll keep pushing.”

Added Kligerman, “[Sheldon] and I drove through the field together; we ran around each other all day. He made a lot of holes by hitting a lot of people, which was really helpful for me. But I think he just tried one move too many there at the end.”

Creed has seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes this season, but is still seeking his first career victory after 88 starts dating back to 2017.

He ranks eighth in the regular season standings with eight races remaining before the playoff reset and is in solid position to lock up a postseason berth and chase a championship later this fall.

Creed and the NASCAR Xfinity Series field will return to action at Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 13 with the running of the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225.

Broadcast coverage at the 2.5-mile ‘Tricky Triangle’ kicks off at 3 p.m. ET, live on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.