Sheldon Creed has endured a tumultuous NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie campaign filled with near-victories and bad luck. As he continues to find his footing, especially coming off a runner-up finish at Martinsville, Richard Childress Racing is eager to welcome him and sponsor Whelen Engineering back to the #2 Chevrolet Camaro for a second season in 2023.
“I’m proud to continue my relationship with Richard Childress Racing and Whelen Engineering and look forward to building on the foundation we laid together in 2022,” said Creed. “It’s been a dream come true to drive for a legendary car owner such as Richard Childress, and I truly appreciate my relationship with Peter and everyone at Whelen Engineering. My goal is to go out and win races and championships for RCR and Whelen, and to continue to showcase their American-made products to race fans throughout the country.”
Creed has twelve top tens and four top fives in 2022 and sits fourteenth in points. Despite a solid start as he recorded four top tens across the first six races, he has been plagued by mechanical failures and accidents that tanked his playoff hopes and left him in the shadow of team-mate and fellow rookie Austin Hill. Nevertheless, he has shown quick pace, nearly winning at Darlington with a wall-riding tactic since popularised by Ross Chastain and regularly running up front at the road courses.
He moved up to Xfinity in 2022 after spending the last three seasons in the Camping World Truck Series. Creed won eight races and the 2020 championship during his time in the division, and his one-off at COTA in March saw him win the pole before exiting with a drivetrain issue.
“RCR and Sheldon both share Whelen’s passion for technology and innovation, and we’ve been particularly impressed with Sheldon’s tenacity behind the wheel and relationship-building skills with our employees and key customers,” commented Whelen motorsports general manager Peter Tiezzi III. “We’re looking forward to continuing to build on our strong partnership.”
His ascent through the stock car ladder, which included winning the 2018 ARCA Menards Series title, began after making a name for himself in off-road. A protégé of RCR alumnus and off-road great Robby Gordon, Creed has the most race wins in Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks and a pair of championships. Due to his Xfinity obligations, 2022 is the first year since SST’s founding that Creed did not race in the series.