Christopher Bell maintained his undefeated streak by winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway fourth time straight in Xfinity. The race came down right to the wire, with three drivers battling it out in the overtime. It was Sheldon Creed and Cole Custer who were involved in a tussle. This ultimately left the door open for Bell to make his winning move on the drop of the white flag.
The JGR star even highlighted what allowed him to maintain his unbeaten streak despite being at the disadvantage of speed.
“I’ve been just really fortunate, that’s for sure. I don’t know, I feel so bad for Sheldon. He’s been really really close to winning these things, and today he did everything thing right to win that race. He restarted in the right lane, gave Cole a good push and then, coming to the white flag, he got Cole lose and that’s what opened the door for me,” Bell said during the post-race interview.
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With the last two laps into the race, Custer had the advantage with the strong restart and was clear. But on the backstretch, Creed caught up to him and made an aggressive move by bumping the No. 00 Ford. The good old bump and run did come in handy and he gained the lead. But the SHR drivers wouldn’t let him go without returning the favor as they came door to door on the front stretch, leaving the gap wide open for Christopher Bell to pounce on.
Although Creed lost the lead, but he could’ve pushed on the next three corners to get the victory, as the No. 20 car wasn’t the quickest of the bunch. Instead, he once again got tangled with Custer, and there was clear daylight between the leader and the chasing pack from there on. JGR did have a 1-2 finish, but it was seen as a race lost by Custer rather than a win by Bell. Today’s result saw him tie an Xfinity Series record for most second-place finishes (10) before getting the win.
This is one record Sheldon Creed does NOT want to break.
Where will his first win come? pic.twitter.com/hqBZnACHkr
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 22, 2024
While consecutive top 5 finishes are indeed good for a team. But repeating the mistakes on every opportunity to win the race certainly isn’t a good plan if the #18 team is contending for a championship. Fans certainly weren’t impressed with the driver’s inability to convert yet another opportunity and poured out their frustration on social media platforms.
Fans react to Cole Custer’s streak of winless runs after a 2nd place finish
Not mincing any words or filtering out the criticism, an online critique wrote, “Sheldon creed is a certified choke artist 😂”.
Sheldon creed is a certified choke artist 😂
— Kyle Busch Sin Wagon Enjoyer (@tyler_stimson) June 22, 2024
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NASCAR fans are not easily impressed and with the streak of missed chances, the JGR driver is now cutting out to be a failure figure. The record mentioned above is certainly not what the driver would be proud of. Also, fans only need a reason to pick on a driver who’s just not been able to deliver the goods. “Creed’s ability to find ways not to win might be unmatched”.
However loyal supporters of the driver felt that he needs to inject the killer instinct into his race style to win races. Even if it means resorting to dirty racing, especially when he is right at the doorsteps of the victory lane. “Creed should have used the bumper”.
This in turn allows the fans from the rival camp to have their moment to call out the misery of other teams. While a P2 finish is no mean feat, but when this becomes a recurring theme, it only opens the door for trolls and that’s exactly what happened with Creed. “Common Sheldon Creed disasterclass”.
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The criticism didn’t stop just there, the JGR driver was also called by many names after the end of the race. “Custer is a clown bro”.
Despite the outburst of criticism Creed is facing online he currently finds himself top of the points standings. Although this consistency is good, the driver will have to find his spark in churning out winning results.