“Hurts” Sheldon Creed’s Heartbreaking 7-Word Confession Highlights NASCAR’s Questionable Business Model

Winning in NASCAR often translates to a lucrative paycheck, but what happens when a driver doesn’t notch a single victory?

A challenging season isn’t just an emotional rollercoaster for a driver; it’s financially taxing as well. Sheldon Creed knows this all too well. Despite pouring his heart and soul into every race with Joe Gibbs Racing this season, the struggle has been real.

At Michigan, Sheldon Creed broke a new record as an Xfinity Series driver, but that is not necessarily a good thing. After coming in second, he became the driver with the most number of second places and finished without a win. Now with a P3 finish at Darlington, he ends his third full-time season in the Xfinity Series without a win.

Sheldon Creed reveals how much money he is making this year

This year itself, Sheldon Creed has come in second four times, making him so close to victory lane, but yet so far. Unlike his career in the Camping World Truck Series, where he managed to win 8 races in 2 years, the Xfinity Series is not being kind to him. Even at Darlington, a P3 finish did not impress him or other teams. Another important thing to note is that this is Creed’s last year with Joe Gibbs Racing, as his contract will end this year.

Creed does have one thing going for him though, and that is the fact that he is in the playoffs for the second year in a row. But following the last regular season race, he came ahead to talk about his experience, and what he said might come as a shocker. During the post-race pitlane interaction, Sheldon Creed revealed, “I took a chance on myself, and we brought all the money we could. I’m literally not even making a dollar this year, so it just hurts when they get away like that.” It might come as a surprise that one of the most popular Xfinity Series drivers is not making any money all year long, but that’s where the reality of being a NASCAR driver comes up.

The California native will be looking for a team for next year, and although nothing is confirmed yet, rumors are stating that he will move to the Haas Factory Team. The Diamond Hill Plywood 200 did not go according to plan for him, but he still has the remainder of the season to win a race. Although it’s going to be a difficult path ahead, there is a chance that Creed will make Xfinity Series champion this year.

What went down at the Darlington race for Sheldon Creed?

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Sheldon Creed had a dramatic day at Darlington Raceway. He managed to win Stage 2 by holding off Christopher Bell. However, in the final stages of the race, a late-race caution led to a NASCAR overtime finish. Unfortunately for Creed, he fell short of victory, with Christopher Bell ultimately winning the race.

Creed expressed his disappointment with coming third in the post-race interview, and before he mentioned how this year has been a financial wreck for him, he explained, “I lost one the same way a few years ago here. This has always been a really good place for me, and I’ve always loved racing here. Just, man, I don’t know what to do to be any better than that.”

Sheldon Creed thanked his crew for everything that they did at this race. Although he won stage 2, a caution changed the race outcome from what he wanted. It hurt even more because his crew managed to make 2 of the fastest pitstops of the day, and despite that, he did not get the outcome he would have liked.

Considering his performance, with which team do you think Sheldon Creed will sign for 2025? Share your thoughts in the comments below.