Sheldon Creed has signed a multi-year agreement to drive the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series beginning in 2027.
Creed currently pilots the No. 00 Chevy for Haas Factory Team and is the points leader with six races remaining in the 2026 season. The 29-year-old has three wins this season, the first three of his career, including two of the last three races with wins at Darlington and Bristol.
Creed holds an 11-point advantage over Justin Allgaier in the battle for the championship.
Sheldon Creed Signs With Sam Hunt Racing For 2027
Car owner Sam Hunt announced on Saturday the news that he had signed current NOAPS points leader Sheldon Creed. Motorsports writer for The Athletic Jeff Gluck was one of the first to report the news and quoted Hunt in saying that Creed is the future of the No. 26 Toyota.
“Sam Hunt announces he has signed Sheldon Creed ‘as the future of our No. 26 Toyota Supra on a multi-year deal,’” Gluck wrote via X.
Sam Hunt Racing once was a part-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team with multiple drivers getting behind the wheel throughout the season. Dean Thompson is the current full-time driver of the No. 26 Toyota in his second year with the organization.
Thompson ranks 18th in the points standings with four top-10 finishes in 2026.
Sam Hunt Racing will be the fourth different full-time team Creed has raced for in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Creed formerly drove the No. 2 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in 2022 and 2023.
He moved to Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot the No. 18 Toyota in 2024 before jumping to Haas Factory Team in 2025 to wheel the No. 00 Ford. In 2026, Haas Factory Team switched from Ford to Chevrolet.
Haas Factory Team Releases Statement on Creed’s Departure
With Sam Mayer making a return to JR Motorsports next year and Creed leaving for Sam Hunt Racing, Haas Factory Team is without drivers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for 2027.
However, in a statement released by the team regarding Creed’s departure, Haas Factory Team is expected to have a driver lineup in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in the near future.
“Sheldon Creed and HFT will part ways at the end of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts season. The team thanks Sheldon for the dedication he has showed throughout his time with HFT and his 3 wins for the organization. The No. 00 team remains focused on wins and the 2026 championship. Announcements regarding the 2027 HFT driver lineup are TBO at this time.”
Haas Factory Team fields Creed in the No. 00 Chevrolet and Mayer in the No. 41 Chevrolet. In the Cup Series, former O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Cole Custer drives the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet.
Haas Factory Team was formerly Stewart-Haas Racing, co-owned by Gene Haas and three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. The organization ceased operations at the end of the 2024 season.
Creed is seeking his first O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in 2026. He won the 2020 Craftsman Truck Series title driving the No. 2 Chevrolet for GMS Racing.
Sheldon Creed Lands Multi-Year Deal With Sam Hunt Racing