Sheldon Creed just cannot catch a break.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series sophomore was hoping to finally get to Victory Lane and appeared to be in prime position to do so when he won his first career pole for Saturday’s Portland International Raceway event, a track where he previously excelled in Stadium Super Trucks. Unfortunately for him, every other contender had the same idea.
After surviving a clash with John Hunter Nemechek in which the latter spun Creed at the end of Stage #2 before he returned the favour the next leg, he chased down Justin Allgaier before Riley Herbst‘s car caught fire in the final three laps to set up overtime. As Creed and Allgaier entered the first chicane on the ensuing restart, Parker Kligerman attempted to create a third line along the inside, but inadvertently caused the three to stack up together and send Allgaier and Creed off course.
“I went for it,” said Kligerman. “It was the correct move to make to win. Just mis-timed.”
Cole Custer, who was running behind the trio, snuck by to assume the lead. Allgaier tried to catch up, but could not find a clean overtaking opportunity as Custer beat him to the finish. The victory is Custer’s first since being demoted to the Xfinity Series from Cup.
“I saw them drive in there so deep, and I did the same thing like two restarts ago,” remarked Custer. “I’m just so happy. I’ve never won a road course race before. I’ve been so close, so many times. It’s just awesome to win this.”
Creed and Nemechek conversed about their clashes after the race, which ended on amicable terms. On the other hand, tensions between Nemechek and team-mate Sammy Smith lingered after the two tangled, though any matter between the two will likely be settled in the team meeting. The same could not be said for Jeb Burton, who argued with Chandler Smith regarding Smith nearly turning him in turn one with four laps remaining until a Kaulig Racing crewman put Burton in a headlock.
While the aforementioned have plenty of reason to leave Portland as angry drivers, others like Connor Mosack were probably more happy as he secured his first career top ten.
Brad Pérez replaced Leland Honeyman after twenty laps as the latter was dealing with food poisoning. Pérez had started the race as a crew member for their team and finished twenty-eigth.
Race results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 2 | 00 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 77 | Running |
| 2 | 5 | 7 | Justin Allgaier | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 3 | 36 | 1 | Sam Mayer | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 4 | 3 | 8 | Josh Berry | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 5 | 8 | 21 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 6 | 9 | 19 | Myatt Snider | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 77 | Running |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 8 | 11 | 24 | Connor Mosack | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 77 | Running |
| 9 | 7 | 16 | Chandler Smith | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 10 | 4 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 77 | Running |
| 11 | 15 | 91 | Alex Labbé | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 12 | 19 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Racing | Ford | 77 | Running |
| 13 | 37 | 9 | Brandon Jones | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 14 | 14 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Racing Team | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 15 | 27 | 02 | Blaine Perkins | Our Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 16 | 28 | 92 | Josh Williams | DGM Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 17 | 23 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 18 | 24 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 77 | Running |
| 19 | 31 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 20 | 29 | 53 | Patrick Emerling | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 21 | 17 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | B.J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 22 | 20 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 23 | 33 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | RSS Racing | Ford | 77 | Running |
| 24 | 35 | 4 | Garrett Smithley | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 25 | 13 | 27 | Jeb Burton | Jordan Anderson Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 26 | 18 | 26 | Kaz Grala | Sam Hunt Racing | Toyota | 77 | Running |
| 27 | 6 | 10 | Jordan Taylor* | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | Running |
| 28 | 21 | 43 | Leland Honeyman/Brad Pérez ^ | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 76 | Accident |
| 29 | 22 | 44 | Dylan Lupton | Alpha Prime Racing | Chevrolet | 76 | Running |
| 30 | 16 | 18 | Sammy Smith | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 75 | Running |
| 31 | 25 | 08 | Preston Pardus | SS-Green Light Racing | Ford | 72 | Running |
| 32 | 12 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 65 | Engine |
| 33 | 10 | 11 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 47 | Running |
| 34 | 30 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | RSS Racing | Ford | 46 | Rear Gear |
| 35 | 32 | 35 | Parker Chase | Emerling-Gase Motorsports | Toyota | 36 | Tie Rod |
| 36 | 34 | 66 | Mason Maggio* | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 28 | Transmission |
| 37 | 38 | 07 | Stefan Parsons | SS-Green Light Racing | Chevrolet | 17 | Overheating |
| 38 | 26 | 6 | Brennan Poole | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15 | Accident |
* – Ineligible for points
^ – Pérez replaced Honeyman mid-race; Honeyman is credited with the finish