Sheldon Creed earned his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win on Saturday, February 21, at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, ending a career marked by 15 runner-up finishes. His breakthrough came after an intense 163-lap race that included a major crash and a late-race restart on the 1.5-mile track.
Following a lengthy 4 minute and 28 second red flag to clear debris from a Lap 152 caution, the drivers battled fiercely over the final six laps, often racing two and three wide. Creed’s No. 00 Chevrolet took the checkered flag ahead of Parker Retzlaff, who achieved his career-best second place, with Nick Sanchez finishing third, Corey Day fourth, and Jesse Love securing fifth.
Across 138 starts, Creed had never won before; he led 17 of the laps in this event amid a record-setting 24 lead changes throughout the race.
How the Final Laps Played Out Leading to Creed’s Victory
With just two laps remaining, Creed trailed Cup Series driver Ross Chastain and his former Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Hill. Both Chastain in the No. 32 Chevrolet and Hill in the No. 21 Chevrolet were battling for the lead as Creed positioned himself in third.
On the final lap after the white flag, Creed nudged Chastain into Hill as they exited Turn 2. Hill’s car spun toward the infield but he managed to regain control and stay on the track. This moment allowed Creed, driving for the HAAS Factory Team, to surge ahead and secure the lead.
“Yeah, I’ve been a loser the past few years and I just kept showing up,”
Creed said.
“This is not how you draw it up when you win a Truck Series championship (2020) and winning races. This is incredible.”
“It’s not how I drew it up. I don’t know if one win will rebound my career, but maybe if I win a few this year it will. I want to thank my past teams of RCR and (Joe) Gibbs, they gave me great opportunities.
“I’m probably going to drink a ton of Coors Lights tonight.”
Austin Hill Reflects on the Final Moments and His Performance
Austin Hill, a five-time winner at EchoPark Speedway, acknowledged the aggressive and chaotic final moments after being bumped out of the lead on the last lap, which ultimately dropped him to 12th place.
“We really had a fast Chevrolet all day,”
Hill said.
“Looking back on that, there’s a couple of things I could have done differently. I might have got a little too far out coming off Turn 2.”
“What about that save, that save was insane. End of the race, you have to throw the block and the No. 32 (Chastain) drove through me. He has nothing to lose; he’s not racing for points…that’s Ross for you. We were both going for the win. I was dead sideways there and I don’t know how I saved it.
That was a lot of fun, I had a blast tonight. It just wasn’t meant to be, Atlanta has been good to us.
Major Multi-Car Crash Disrupts Race with 22 Laps Remaining
With 22 laps remaining, a significant crash unfolded in Turn 1, triggered when Sammy Smith, running seventh and benefiting from a previous free pass, suffered a flat tire on his No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Smith’s spin caused a chain reaction involving Ryan Ellis, William Sawalich, Gio Ruggiero, Nick Leitz, Brennan Poole, Lavar Scott, Patrick Staropoli, Taylor Gray, and Mason Maggio.
At the time of the incident, Ross Chastain was leading the race, followed closely by Austin Hill and Jesse Love, who were early race leaders as well.
Looking Ahead to the Next O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Event
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will continue its schedule with a road course race at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, February 28. Following such an intense and record-breaking event at EchoPark Speedway, competitors including Sheldon Creed, who secured his historic first win, will look to build momentum moving forward in the season. Creed’s victory, especially after numerous close calls, marks a significant turning point not only for his career but for the competitiveness expected in upcoming races.
