Sheldon Creed has showcased speed during the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but he only has one top-five finish due to late incidents. He responded after the trip to Martinsville Speedway by criticizing the lack of respect.
The race at the historic short track started quietly. There was only one caution in Stage 1, which was due to Brett Moffitt’s No. 25 Ford wheel hopping and spinning. However, the final stage had five different incidents that collected multiple cars, including one that sent Creed spinning on the final lap and relegated him to a 27th-place finish.
“We got up to sixth or seventh late in Stage 3, but there’s no respect at the end of these races,” Creed said, transcript courtesy of Richard Childress Racing. “We were all packed together battling for position at the end of the race. The No. 11 car got around me and then the No. 10 car went three wide and shoved me into the No. 25 car up the racetrack.
“They went by, and the No.16 car bulldozes us out of the way. I caught the No. 19’s left-rear quarter and spun because of it. It’s a shame to run that strong only to lose all of those positions on the last lap.”
Creed Will Have Conversations With Kaulig Racing’s Drivers
GettySheldon Creed waves to NASCAR fans at Martinsville Speedway.
Creed has one true teammate in Austin Hill, who drives the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. However, the Kaulig Racing drivers are essentially teammates due to a technical alliance.
The No. 10, No. 16, and No. 11 Chevrolet Camaros are all built on the Richard Childress Racing campus in Welcome, N.C. The two teams also have debrief meetings together after each race on the Xfinity Series schedule.
Creed told TobyChristie.com after the Martinsville race that he plans on talking to Smith, in particular, at the meeting. He indicated that the rookie driver is involved in similar situations every week.
Creed is another prominent driver in 2023 to mention the lack of respect after an incident on the final lap of an Xfinity Series race. Kyle Busch also did so after the trip to Circuit of the Americas. Though he specifically referenced an incident between him and Smith at Phoenix Raceway that sent his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro into a partial spin and dropped him to the bottom half of the top 10.
“I’ve tried to talk to guys,” Busch said at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 18. “They don’t listen. So, I’ve lost interest in talking to them.
“I had a teammate that I talked to — kid that raced for me for two years in the Truck Series real recently — who I got into it last week with and tried to talk to him about those exact same issues. And lo and behold, it happened to me three races into a new year somewhere else. So, I’m done talking to them.”
This incident between Busch and Smith is one that Creed specifically mentioned during his conversation with TobyChristie.com. He had a firsthand look at the two drivers battling at Phoenix Raceway, and he saw the result as Busch nearly spun.
A Previous Incident Disrupted Creed’s Race at Circuit of the Americas
The spin at Martinsville Speedway is not the first incident in 2023 that has included Creed and Kaulig Racing drivers. There was another in Texas that disrupted an opportunity to win.
The incident occurred with 14 laps remaining at Circuit of the Americas. Creed was in the lead at the Texas road course, and he was in pursuit of his first career Xfinity Series win. However, AJ Allmendinger hit him from behind in Turn 19 and sent the No. 2 spinning off of the track.
AJ Allmendinger gets into Sheldon Creed while racing for the lead!
Was this dirty or just an accident?
Creed was able to recover in the closing laps and secure a top-10 finish for Richard Childress Racing. Though this was a far cry from winning and celebrating in Victory Lane for the first time as an Xfinity Series driver.
“I had the lead, and I wasn’t going to get passed easy,” Creed told media members after the race at COTA. “I protected — what was that — 15, 16? I seen him pop out on 18, I thought I gave him enough room… I thought I gave him enough room, and I turned in later. I don’t know if he over-drove it and drove into us or what.
“I don’t know. Same thing, different week. I feel like we’ve been really fast and had good runs going and then something dumb happens like that.”
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Sheldon Creed Criticizes Lack of Respect in Xfinity Series Races