The premise of NASCAR drivers betting on themselves isn’t new.
Pushing all of the available chips into the center of the table and gambling on the fact that, as a racecar driver, they will be able to perform at a high level and be noticed by an onlooking sponsor or team owner.
That method can be extremely risky. For some drivers it works exceptionally, but for others, it can lead to the crashing and burning of their NASCAR hopes and dreams.
Sheldon Creed is in the middle of that gamble at the moment, having joined Joe Gibbs Racing this season to pilot the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
After two years in the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing, the 26-year-old took a chance on himself, bringing all of his available money to the championship-winning team, forgoing any payment for driving the racecar.
With a series-leading 13 top-five finishes heading into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, that gamble looks to be paying off for the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion.
In many ways, it’s been a breakout season for Sheldon Creed in the second-tier series, and the overall success of this gamble is sending the confidence of the Alpine, California native skyrocketing.
“Yeah, I think it certainly has [helped my confidence]. I think I came to [Joe Gibbs Racing] pretty low on confidence and I’m not sure I was having fun with it anymore, and yeah, I think that’s all turned around. I think my confidence grows every week,” Creed said during Xfinity Series Playoff Media Day.
This year, @SheldonCreed took a chance on himself by joining @JoeGibbsRacing, and it’s paid off, leading the Xfinity Series in top-fives (13).
Creed says the success of that gamble has led to a turnaround in confidence, which he says continues growing each week.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/1DWJpduB1x
— Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) September 24, 2024
“[I] don’t want to say we should’ve won Darlington, but [we] were in position to win Darlington. So yeah, confidence has been up, and our team has had a lot of fun,” Creed added. “Running top-five every week is fun, right? It’s better than running sixth, or seventh, or eighth, or 12th to 15th.”
It’s pretty easy to take the low-hanging fruit, a record-breaking 13 second-place results without a NASCAR Xfinity Series win, when discussing Sheldon Creed and his chances at the championship this season. However, it was just three seasons ago that a driver by the name of Daniel Hemric, driving that same No. 18, scored his first career win and championship in the season-finale at Phoenix.
Interestingly enough, Creed says that those runner-up finishes don’t bother him that much, at least not anymore.
“Yeah, each situation has been different,” said Creed. “I don’t think I’ve done the same mistake twice, right? I just try to learn and be better every single week. I mean, for a second there, it was getting annoying. I got annoyed with myself and why do I keep running second, but lately, I just haven’t cared and have been having a lot of fun being fast and consistent and in the picture of winning.”
The eight-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winner has been on the precipice of breaking through in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for quite some time, and when it finally happens, the celebration is certainly going to be glorious.
“I feel like it’ll be a huge weight off my shoulders. This has been riding on me for three years now. Yeah, I don’t know, I’ll for sure be relieved. And it’s going to happen, one of these days. I thought it was going to happen just a couple of weeks ago at Darlington. Once we win, I have a feeling they’ll come a little easier and hopefully more often.”
“I think at this point, where everything is at, you have to win races if you want to go to the Cup [Series] and have a paid-for ride and not have to bring money to a Cup team. That’s the goal. I think I’m consistent enough to maybe have Cup teams interested, but they want to see winners and I have to do that more often.”
Even if that elusive first career Xfinity Series win doesn’t come in the final seven races of the season, taking a chance on himself has already paid off for Creed, who will drive the No. 00 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Haas Factory Team, taking over the ride from defending champion Cole Custer, in 2025.
For now, though, the focus is on doing everything in his power to collect wins and a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, something that Creed wholeheartedly believes the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra team can achieve to finish the season.
“I think everyone’s in a good mood right now and working really hard at it. I’d say the No. 18 team is in a good place.”
One Response
Really makes me angry and sad that these drivers have to bring money to these big teams like JGR and as much as I love Dale Jr, Kelley and Rick Hendrick but JRM included. I imagine the same goes for Taylor Gray and Ryan Truex.