Sheldon Creed’s wait for a race win continues as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs approach, despite a strong second-place finish at Bristol. Creed, who drives the No. 18 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing, remains optimistic, believing that a win will eventually come. Throughout this season, he has secured six second-place finishes, bringing his career total in the Xfinity Series to 13. Though a victory has eluded him so far, Creed’s consistency has kept him in the fight, and he hopes that the momentum will eventually lead to a breakthrough.
In an interview with *Frontstretch*, Creed reflected on his second-place finishes, acknowledging the mixed emotions that come with repeatedly falling just short of victory. The reporter described the situation as both a “blessing and a curse,” and Creed seemed to agree. He admitted that while it’s not a record to be proud of, his team’s strong performance keeps them in the hunt. “I think that our momentum is great. We’re really consistent, so we need to keep that up. Yeah, I don’t know. It’s not a cool record, but we’ll win one of these days,” Creed remarked, highlighting his belief that a win is just around the corner.
The race at Bristol saw Creed in contention once again. However, as the laps wound down, he struggled with handling issues. According to the driver, his car got progressively tighter as the race went on, and he ended up hitting the wall multiple times. Despite these challenges, Creed managed to hold on to second place, though he was eventually overtaken by Cole Custer, who claimed the win. Custer crossed the finish line with a margin of 0.896 seconds ahead of Creed. Reflecting on the race, Creed praised Custer’s performance, acknowledging that his rival did a better job navigating through traffic in the final laps. “Hats off to double zero [the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang of Cole Custer]. He did a really good job getting through that traffic. I thought I did too. I got through some of them pretty quick […] yeah, I don’t know. I just needed that little bit better at turn 2 to really compete with them at the end,” he added.
The top 10 finishers at the Food City 300 included Cole Custer in first place, followed by Sheldon Creed, Chandler Smith, Jesse Love, Ryan Truex, Brandon Jones, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Sieg, Sam Mayer, and AJ Allmendinger. Despite not securing the win, Creed’s second-place finish was enough to qualify him for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs based on points. Joining him in the playoffs is his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chandler Smith, who secured his spot with victories at Phoenix and Richmond earlier in the season.
Creed’s run of second-place finishes extends beyond Bristol. The week before, at The Mission 200 at Watkins Glen, Creed also finished in second place, this time behind Connor Zilisch, an 18-year-old making his Xfinity Series debut. The race ended under caution, with Zilisch taking the checkered flag ahead of Creed. In an interview following the race at Watkins Glen, Creed reflected on his frustratingly close finishes throughout the season. Speaking to veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, Creed said, “Yeah, I mean, obviously you want to win before this point, which we’ve been close, but close isn’t winning… I feel like we’ve been one of the more consistent teams lately. So we just need to keep that up. Yeah, I think we can make a deep run at it,” he explained, acknowledging both the frustration of coming close and the optimism he holds for the future.
Creed’s six second-place finishes this season have come at Daytona, Sonoma, New Hampshire, Michigan, Watkins Glen, and now Bristol. Additionally, he managed to secure two pole positions at Pocono and Michigan, though neither translated into a win. Instead, both poles resulted in top-five finishes. Despite this, Creed remains focused on the bigger picture, which is performing well in the playoffs and making a run for the championship.
Looking ahead, Creed and the No. 18 team will now shift their focus to Kansas Speedway, the site of the first race in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. With the season winding down and the pressure mounting, Creed hopes that his consistency will finally pay off with a victory. While he has come agonizingly close on multiple occasions this year, he remains confident that his team has what it takes to compete at the highest level. As the playoffs get underway, Creed’s fans will be eagerly watching to see if he can finally break through and claim his long-awaited first win of the season.
Sheldon Creed Vows to Break Runner-Up Streak After Second-Place Finish at Bristol: ‘We’ll Win One Day!
