Sheldon Creed appeared to have everything under control after winning the Fleetio 200 at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver secured his second career victory and moved within seven points of Justin Allgaier in the championship race.
But the NASCAR post-race inspection brought one final setback. NASCAR confirmed penalties for four teams after checking their cars following the race. Creed’s No. 00 Chevrolet was among them.
The penalties did not change the NASCAR results or playoff points, but they will affect pit selection at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Creed, Brent Crews, Austin Hill and Jesse Love will all lose their right to choose pit stalls for the next NASCAR race.
NASCAR Post-Race Inspection Reveals Four Penalties
The NASCAR post-race inspection was completed early Sunday, with Motorsport senior NASCAR editor Matt Weaver sharing the official update.
“O’Reilly Series inspection is complete at Darlington. Loss of Pit Selection at Gateway: 00 (Creed) – 1 lug nut not safe & secure; 2 (Love) – At-track inspection penalty; 19 (Crews) – 1 lug nut not safe & secure; 21 (Hill) – 1 lug nut not safe & secure.”
The NASCAR penalties affect four cars from Saturday’s race. Creed, Crews and Hill were cited for one lug nut that was not safe and secure. Love received an at-track inspection penalty.
The NASCAR post-race inspection did not take away Creed’s victory. The finishing order and playoff points remain unchanged.
Under the 2026 NASCAR rules, teams can lose pit selection for the next race after an unsecured lug nut or certain inspection violations. The affected teams will have to accept a pit stall after the rest of the field makes its selections.
NASCAR Darlington Results Put Creed Near Allgaier
Creed won the NASCAR Darlington race after leading the final 53 of 147 laps. He started 13th in the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet and moved through the field before taking control late.
Corey Day finished second, 2.961 seconds behind Creed. Crews finished third, followed by Sammy Smith and Hill.
Allgaier won Stage 1 and led 60 laps, but he fell to 17th after his car went off track during the final run. That result cut his championship lead from 25 points to seven.
The NASCAR Darlington result gave Creed his first victory at the 1.366-mile oval, which is known as “Too Tough to Tame.” It was also his second career NASCAR win.
Crews finished third in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota while competing for the owner’s championship. Hill finished fifth in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and gained nine points on Allgaier. Love started fourth but finished 13th.
The NASCAR Darlington race also saw Day recover from a mid-race incident before finishing second.
NASCAR Heads to Gateway With Pit Selection at Stake
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series now moves to World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for the Nu Way 225 on Sept. 12. The race will be the second event in the nine-race Chase.
Creed will enter the NASCAR Gateway race as the winner of the opening Chase event, but his team will not be able to choose its pit stall.
Pit selection can matter at Gateway because the 1.25-mile oval features traffic, restarts and green-flag pit cycles. The four penalized teams will receive their stalls from the remaining options after other teams make their selections.
The NASCAR Gateway race is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW.
Creed leaves Darlington with the biggest prize of the night — a NASCAR victory and a major gain in the championship standings. But the NASCAR post-race inspection ensured his team still had one issue to carry into the next round of the Chase.
NASCAR: Darlington Raceway Post-Race Inspection Reveals One Last Problem