BRISTOL, Tenn: Sheldon Creed came into the Food City 300 knowing he had to stay above the cut line to move on to the Round of 8, but it would take a monumental effort through the first two stages of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway to maintain his position in the Playoffs.
Before the race, Creed mentioned, “The beginning of the Playoffs is just about surviving. Someone out of us 12 Playoff drivers is going to have a bad weekend, or something is going to happen, which will make survival and finishing the next six races before Phoenix crucial.”
Starting Stage 1 in 21st, the Richard Childress Racing driver was mired in the middle of the pack. Battling alongside his teammate Austin Hill for the position, Creed would be told to have patience and get them one at a time.
Unfortunately, before the end of Stage 1, the leader would catch up to the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro and, put him one lap down and end the stage in the 19th position.
“It was a tough way to start the race tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway,” said Creed. “The handling of our Whelen Chevrolet wasn’t great in Stage 1, putting us a lap down. We had to fight hard to get it back.”
Before pitting on Lap 91, Creed would report to the team that he is loose on landing and can’t lean on the right rear through the corners. The team would give the driver a new set of Goodyear tires, fuel, and a chassis adjustment and send him back to the track one lap down in the 23rd position.
Taking the green flag for Stage 2, the 25-year-old native from El Cajon, California, would have to work his way through the field to put himself in position to get the free pass to get back on the lead lap, and he did.
Ending the stage under caution due to a multi-car accident on Lap 168, Creed had driven up to the ninth position and would earn the free pass to start Stage 3.
Coming to pit road on Lap 173, Creed was happy with his car and only took a set of tires and fuel but would restart at the tail of the field.
Returning to the track, he told the team, “We will be alright now. We have a race car.”
Still, the team reminded him that three of the playoff drivers are out of the race and that they can capitalize on that.
On Lap 218, Creed would bring out the caution when he clipped his teammate Austin Hill halfway down the front stretch. “I didn’t mean to do that,” he implied over his radio.
Having to come to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment during the caution, Creed would return to the field in the 10th position.
Battling to move up through the field through the remaining laps of the race at The Last Great Colosseum, Creed would finish the day in 11th position and remained in eighth place in the playoff standings, four points above the cut line.
“Our Chevrolet had good speed at times, but we really struggled at the beginning of a run,” explained Creed. “That last run, I should have been eighth or ninth. I picked a couple of wrong lanes and got stuck in traffic.”
Knowing that it could have been much worse, Creed understands that he has an uphill battle ahead of him.
“Overall, a frustrating first race into the NASCAR Playoffs, but to leave with an 11th-place finish is a plus,” he admitted. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. It’s not from a lack of effort because everyone at Richard Childress Racing is working hard. We just have to be better moving forward.”
Creed also knows that he will need to have a meaningful conversation with his teammate Austin Hill this week after ending his day earlier in the race.
“I’m going to talk to Austin (Hill). I know he’s going to be extremely frustrated, and he probably should be. Obviously, I didn’t mean to hit him in the left rear, coming off the corner.
We just came together. It’s on me since I was at the bottom. We will have a conversation about it and move on.”
Next up for Sheldon Creed will be Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on September 23, 2023, at 3:30 pm ET.
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