Creed Opens Xfinity Playoffs With Another Runner-Up

Sheldon Creed in action at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Declan Wayman/Motorsports Hotspot photo)

BRISTOL, Tenn. – A late charge on fresh tires allowed Sheldon Creed to open his NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff push with a runner-up finish Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Driving the No. 00 Road Ranger Ford Mustang, Creed rolled off from the outside of row five and spent the first two thirds of the Food City 300 working to position himself toward the front.

By the time the night’s penultimate caution flag waved with 38 laps left – when Carson Ware spun in turn one of the .533-mile concrete high banks – Creed had worked his way into fifth place and in contention for a late-race strategy split.

He and a handful of other lead-lap cars, including then-leader Connor Zilisch, came down pit lane for service and then reset with a mission to move forward on the restart that followed.

Creed lined up ninth following the choose rule and got to fifth before the final yellow waved with 25 to go, when Taylor Gray spun into traffic, but somehow avoided major contact with the wall or other cars.

The final restart came with 18 laps left, and Creed slipped to seventh on the low lane before working his way past Zilisch and others into fourth in the first three laps of the run.

Creed then dispatched Carson Kvapil for third with 10 to go before chasing down eventual winner Aric Almirola, as well as his own Haas Factory Team teammate Sam Mayer, to battle for the victory.

Though Creed couldn’t get to Almirola, he did make a final-lap pass of Mayer in turns one and two to secure second place at the finish, coming just .381 seconds shy of the trophy.

It was Creed’s second straight runner-up result in the fall Xfinity Series stop at The Last Great Colosseum, and came after a pit-road speeding penalty during the first stage break at lap 85 that could have easily derailed his night.

“I chose bottom thinking that was going to be the right move there, and lost a few laps and lost a couple of positions. I had to get them all back, and for whatever reason I re-fired a lot tighter that run,” reflected Creed. “I saw them kind of lining up around the top, so I followed them up there and it took me a couple laps to get around the [No.] 1 [Kvapil], and I was just tight.

“As I got closer to the [No.] 41, I thought that maybe I could run the bottom and try something, so I ripped the bottom pretty good coming to the white,” Creed added. “Then I got by the [No.] 41 [Mayer] and closed on the [No.] 19 [Almirola] and I was like, ‘Why didn’t I do that five laps earlier?’ It was a good rebound.

“I stumped us early by speeding on that first stop and then just rallied back all night.”

Friday’s effort marked Creed’s record-extending 15th second-place finish in Xfinity Series action without a victory, coming in a race where he averaged a top 10 running position and posted the fifth-best driver rating of 104.7 out of a possible 150.

But most importantly, it brought Creed from two points below the playoff cut line entering the night to seven points above the elimination threshold after the first of three races in the Round of 12.

“I had to make it exciting at least, but I kind of knew I wasn’t going to get there,” Creed noted. “You’re not going to spook Aric, but maybe if I could have got him to see me and lift there could have been a chance? I don’t know. It was more for the show I guess, but I’m happy with a second [place] and to come out on the plus side in points.

“I appreciate everyone’s hard work. I don’t want to say we were irrelevant at times, but I’m not going to lie, we’ve struggled, and we struggled a little bit tonight and just worked on it and rallied,” he added. “To come out with a top three finish and up on points is all you can ask for in an opening round.”

Creed and the rest of the Xfinity Series field get a week off to reset before heading to Kansas Speedway for the second race in the opening playoff round.

The Alpine, Calif., native started 15th and finished fifth in the most recent Xfinity Series visit to Kansas in September of 2024.

Broadcast coverage of the Kansas Lottery 300 is slated for Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.