NASCAR has issued a penalty after the trip to Nashville Superspeedway that will drop Sheldon Creed closer to the playoff cutline with 11 races remaining in the regular season.
The sanctioning body issued a penalty report on June 27 and announced that received a penalty for violating NASCAR Rule Book’s Section 4.4.B, which focuses on the member code of conduct, as a result of intentionally wrecking Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sammy Smith. As a result, the Richard Childress Racing driver received a $25,000 fine. He also lost 25 driver points.
The specific sections of the Rule Book focused on “Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship” and “Wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result.”
This is the same penalty NASCAR issued to Denny Hamlin after his last lap contact with Ross Chastain. Though the fine was $25,000 less due to Creed competing in the Xfinity Series instead of the Cup Series.
“Following Saturday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway, NASCAR reviewed radio communications from the No. 2 team,” the sanctioning body said in a statement.
“In NASCAR’s determination, that communication clearly resulted in the No. 2 car wrecking the No. 18 car on Lap 69, causing the seventh caution of the race.”
The Incident Occurred Early in the Nashville Race
GettySheldon Creed watches practice at Portland International Raceway.
The penalty stems from a crash that occurred on Lap 69 of the Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Creed entered Turn 1 on the inside of Smith as they battled for position. He then turned right and hit the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which sent them both spinning to the left.
This incident also collected JR Motorsports driver Brandon Jones, who was behind Creed and Smith. He attempted to check up and steer between them, but his No. 9 Chevrolet hit Creed’s No. 2. This caused damage which played a role in him finishing 24th.
NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. made comments in the immediate aftermath of the crash and talked about how little grip there was on the 1.33-mile track. Many others viewed this as a simple racing incident in which Creed just lost control of his No. 2 Chevrolet. However, NASCAR went back and examined the radio communication and determined that it was an intentional wreck.
“I’m not sure [what happened] I thought I gave him plenty of room,” Smith said after exiting the infield care center. “He got free and kind of just hooked a right. Thanks to Pilot Flying J, TMC, Allstate Peterbilt Group, Golden Harvest, Toyota — everybody that gives us fast race cars. We just lost some track position there and that hurt us.”
Creed Lost a Spot in the Standings
Creed finished 17th at Nashville Superspeedway, and he left the Tennessee track sitting seventh in the standings with 444 points. He did not have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs due to lacking a win, but he had some room between himself and the cutline.
Now, Creed has 419 points. He sits eighth overall, just behind JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer (429). He is just ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst (416). Creed is also 48 points above Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman (371) and the playoff cutline.
Creed lost a spot in the playoff standings, but he is not facing an insurmountable hurdle. He is still above the playoff cutline with 11 races remaining in the regular season.
Creed also drives for a team that shows considerable speed at every track on the schedule. He may not break through for his first career win before the playoffs begin, but he will still have an opportunity to secure his first playoff appearance by virtue of points.
Comments
Sheldon Creed Loses 25 Points After NASCAR Penalty