The conclusion of NASCAR’s 2024 season spurred a storm of debate. We barely passed a decade since the elimination playoff format debuted in 2014 – and it is at a tipping point. Consider the newly crowned Cup Series champion. Joey Logano was almost invisible before Nashville – a fluky race that he won due to an unforeseen quintuple overtime. He entered the playoffs 15th in points, below three non-playoff drivers. This situation is concerning even an Xfinity driver – Sheldon Creed.

The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing driver had a thriving season. He clinched 23 top-tens and 17 top-fives, although he was winless. Despite being the Christopher Bell of Xfinity, Sheldon Creed could not make it beyond the first round of the playoffs. So he is joining other industry veterans in demanding a fresh slate.

Unrecognized hard work bothers Sheldon Creed

Joe Gibbs’ driver has faced a multitude of struggles in Xfinity. During the 2022-2023 seasons, Sheldon Creed drove for Richard Childress Racing and rarely fetched any success. At the end of last year, he rubbed fenders with his former teammate Austin Hill in Martinsville and allowed Justin Allgaier to get the win. Neither was eligible for the Championship 4 race, and Creed invited diatribes from both Hill and his team owner due to the cutthroat nature of the playoffs. Then this year, Creed posted phenomenally consistent streaks of top-fives – and yet could not leave a mark in the playoffs.

So the JGR driver clearly laid down his opinion about the playoffs. Although it is challenging, the competitiveness can feel too harsh sometimes. Sheldon Creed told journalist Matt Weaver, “I mean, I like the playoff system. It’s really hard…I had the most top-tens this year, second-most top-fives in the series – didn’t make it out of the first round. I had a top-ten, every stage, every race but the Roval – just didn’t have the playoff points to go with it…That makes it not fun all the time, right?” Kyle Larson bore the brunt of this issue in Cup. Despite his stellar 6-win streak and a whopping 1700 led laps, the Hendrick Motorsports driver could not crack the Final Four.

Joey Logano‘s championship win concerned veterans of the sport. Dale Earnhardt Jr called for a return to a full-season points format, although he does not believe in NASCAR’s promises for change. Similarly, Sheldon Creed cited Justin Allgaier’s Xfinity championship which he had to wait 7 seasons for. So Creed asked for a bit of adjustment. “It doesn’t need to be easy, everyone’s really good. I think the only thing I would like to see possibly change is the Final Four round…I think (in) three races you would maybe get a more natural champion…I think a three-race round would be cool for the Final Four…Maybe start the playoffs three races earlier.”

A possible format change would fit in perfectly with Sheldon Creed’s team shift.

Creed looks ahead to a bright future

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Joe Gibbs’ driver has a resume of glittering wins. Sheldon Creed won four races on his path to the 2018 ARCA Racing Series championship. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has eight career victories under his belt. However, Creed’s winning habit took an abrupt break as soon as he joined the Xfinity Series. Despite holding up a consistent streak of 16 top-fives this year, Creed remains winless – a stat that, in NASCAR, is as good as standing still. So he is ready to jump ship again from Joe Gibbs’ fold to the Haas Factory Team.

The latter came into being after Stewart-Haas Racing announced its closure earlier this year. The presence of stellar teammates there is exciting Creed about his new prospects. For instance, Cole Custer will drive the single Cup Series entry under HFT. The driver barely missed his second consecutive championship this year after Justin Allgaier toppled him. So Sheldon Creed is confident about growing in the shadow of Custer and the prior prestige that Haas’ team carries.

“I watched what Cole Custer did last year on his way to the Xfinity Series championship and when I talked with him about the setup of the organization, everything he said resonated with me,” Creed said. “I feel like Haas Factory Team is a place where I can succeed, and where Sam and I can work together to win races and be championship contenders.”

Naturally, Sheldon Creed would ask for the perfect playoff conditions for a stellar debut under Gene Haas. NASCAR has promised to tweak the format, so we can only wait and see how that goes.