In a week filled with unexpected news, including Brad Keselowski departing RFK Racing and Kasey Kahne’s potential return to full-time NASCAR National Series racing, Sheldon Creed dropped one last major news bomb on Saturday during a press conference inside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway media center.
The 29-year-old racer, who leads the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship standings with just six races remaining, will change teams in 2027. Creed, who has driven the No. 00 Chevrolet for Haas Factory Team over the last couple of seasons, has signed a multi-year contract to pilot the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, beginning with the 2027 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season.
This is a major acquisition for Sam Hunt Racing, a team looking to break out in a big way next season.
Creed, who has three wins this season and has proven to be a championship-quality talent, also has experience driving for some of the top teams in the series, including Richard Childress Racing and Haas Factory Team. So, he will know a thing or two about how Sam Hunt Racing stacks up against the teams he has driven for in the past.
Prior to snagging his first career win at EchoPark Speedway in February, Creed had 15 runner-up finishes, an all-time series record for a driver who had yet to win a race. Fast forward to this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Creed has two wins in his most recent three starts, and he is leading the points standings with six races to go.
Following the announcement, Haas Factory Team issued a statement thanking Creed for his contributions to the team and reaffirming that the team remains committed to securing a series championship with Creed behind the wheel this season.
“Sheldon Creed and HFT will part ways at the end of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts season. The team thanks Sheldon for the dedication he has showed throughout his time with HFT and his 3 wins for the organization. The No. 00 team remains focused on wins and the 2026 championship,” Haas Factory Team said.
With the freshly announced departure of Creed and the previously announced departure of Sam Mayer, Haas Factory Team has two seats to fill next season. The team previously added Dean Thompson, the current driver of the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota, to its driver lineup for the 2027 season, but intends to expand to three full-time entries next season.
It’ll be a completely fresh driver lineup for HFT.
