It took Sheldon Creed 138 O’Reilly starts to secure his first ever victory. But he did it in Saturday’s Bennett Transportation 250 at EchoPark Speedway.
Driving the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet, Creed had previously set a series record with 15 runner-up finishes. And now, the Alpine, California, native is a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winner.
“I don’t have to hear it again, you know?” Sheldon Creed told PRN. “If we can finish second five more times this year, I’m OK with it because we’re finally a winner. To have it out of the way and out of the way early is awesome.”
Thanks to the last-lap clash between fellow racers Austin Hill and Cup Series regular Ross Chastain, which spun the former sideways. At that moment, Creed seized the opportunity and surged through.
“No excuse, I turned him okay, for sure,’’ Chastain said as he recalled making contact with Hill. “And I hate that I did that to another Chevy but I’m glad Sheldon was there to pick it up. …I don’t want to spin these guys I’m not trying to crash coming to the checkered. But to get the run down the back, I did not execute it very well, that’s for sure.”
Finishing second was Parker Retzlaff, followed by Nick Sanchez, Corey Day, and Jesse Love inside the top five. The remainder of the top-10 spots were taken by Chastain, Sam Mayer, Rajah Caruth, Taylor Gray, and Brandon Jones.
Next up for the drivers is the Focused Health 250 at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on February 28. Fans can watch the race live on CW, starting at 3 pm ET, or listen to live radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Sheldon Creed reflects on his growth at Haas Factory team
Sheldon Creed previously drove for Joe Gibbs Racing during the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series, now known as the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Well, he didn’t win any races throughout the season, but he proved that he was worth putting money on.
With 23 top-10 finishes, Creed tied Cole Custer for second in the series lead, ranking second in top-fives (16) as well. So, when Custer moved to the Cup Series and Riley Herbst left for 23XI Racing, Creed knew it was his opening.
“I was hoping – maybe they knew it was a one-year deal – I didn’t know,” Sheldon Creed said in a statement. “I was hoping to go back and then midyear, I saw how things were playing out for other guys and knew that it probably wasn’t going to work with money and what they need.”
At the time, there were only two spots at Haas Factory that needed to be filled. Joe Custer, father of Cole Custer and president of Haas Factory, got the two drivers with Creed and former JR Motorsports standout Sam Mayer.
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