Getty Sheldon Creed has a new primary sponsor for the 2022 season.
Starting in 2022, Sheldon Creed will make the move from NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will drive for Richard Childress Racing with Whelen Engineering as his primary sponsor.
RCR held a special event on the Team Chevy Stage at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 9, to reveal Creed’s red and white paint scheme. The organization announced that Whelen will sponsor the No. 2 on a full-time basis as the former Truck Series champion pursues wins and a spot in the Xfinity Series playoffs.
“Whelen is a name synonymous with motorsports so it is truly an honor to represent them as I start my first year of fulltime competition in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” Creed said in a press release, per Jayski. “I’m going to do my best to make Whelen Engineering, its employees and the entire Whelen community proud, and I’m looking forward to doing so with a competitive team like RCR.”
RCR Also Addressed Myatt Snider’s Future With the Team
With Creed taking over the No. 2, there are immediate questions about Snider’s future in the Xfinity Series. The organization addressed the topic, explaining that there are plans for the 26-year-old. However, his role will change.
The press release confirmed that Snider will remain part of the RCR/GM driver development program and that the team will announce specific plans for him at a later date. According to FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass, Childress said on October 9 that the team is trying to help Snider land a ride with one of their affiliates. Kaulig Racing and Big Machine Racing are RCR’s main partners for the 2022 Xfinity Series season.
Childress also told Pockrass and other media members that the team is trying to finalize a deal for a second Xfinity car in 2022. He said that Snider is not expected to be the driver of this additional car.
Snider secured a spot in the 2021 playoffs by winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 27 and finishing the regular season with nine top-10s and one top-five. He enters the final Round of 12 race 24 points below the cutline after a 15th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 25 and a 31st at Talladega Superspeedway on October 2.
Creed Will Finish His Truck Series Season Before Joining RCR
GettySheldon Creed prepares for a race at Nashville Superspeedway.
While the move to RCR on a full-time basis will mark a major step in Creed’s career, he will first focus on completing his title defense. He took home the Truck Series championship trophy in 2020 after winning five races, including the season-ending battle at Phoenix, and he remains in the hunt for another spot in the championship four.
Creed is currently five points above the cutline with one race remaining in the Round of Eight. A crash and 36th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway dropped him in the points standings, but he rebounded at Talladega Superspeedway with a 12th-place run. Now only the October 30 race at Martinsville Speedway stands between him and the championship four.
The only drivers ahead of Creed in the standings are John Hunter Nemechek (+36), Ben Rhodes (+35), and Matt Crafton (+10). Stewart Friesen (-5) is the only driver within immediate reach of Creed, but the other three drivers below the cutline could all overtake the defending champion with a win at Martinsville. Chandler Smith (-34), Carson Hocevar (-37), and Zane Smith (-40) are all in must-win situations.
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Richard Childress Racing Reveals Sheldon Creed’s Main Sponsor