Richard Childress Racing Insider Painfully Dissects “Frustrating” Finish That Cost Them the Playoffs

The Xfinity Series race in Martinsville yet again proved why short-track racing is NASCAR’s best product. Saturday’s race did more than just live up to its expectations, giving the fans a dramatic finish to the playoff round. While the event was a hell-raiser with a climactic late twist giving fans their dose of thrill and entertainment, the race was nothing short of a disaster for Richard Childress and company.

The proud Chevy-partnered team lost both of its drivers in the championship fray as a late closing lap tussle between its #21 and #2 cars ultimately shot down its title hopes in a flash.

The Austin Hill-Sheldon Creed fiasco certainly got the community’s attention with Childress brutally bashing Creed for his actions in the post-race interview. In the aftermath of this, Richard Childress Racing’s Vice President of Competition details the incident scene by scene and makes up for his outburst with a resounding apology.

Richard Childress Racing’s VP (Competition) Andy Petree details the team’s Martinsville disappointment

A few moments before disaster struck the RCR camp, Sheldon Creed and regular season champion Austin Hill were going toe to toe into the finish line. With both drivers eyeing a final 4 berth, the scene was tense as both RCR Chevys pushed one another to the absolute edge, beating and banging as they made their way into the final corner.

While Hill ran up his 26-year-old driver up the track, trying to squeeze himself in for a lead, Creed returned him the favor of pushing him to the side as the RCR Chevys went door to door. However, little did the community know that the closing lap back and forth was about to take a massive turn that resulted in a huge pile-up on the backstretch.

Amidst the duel, a brief contact with Joe Gibbs Racing‘s #20 from behind got Hill into a spin that sent the #21 car to the back where it collected the oncoming cars resulting in a multi-car wreck. However, this went unnoticed as the team bashed Creed doubting that he brake-checked his teammate, trying to deny him a free pass.

The bad blood between the two only made matters worse as Andy Petree, the VP of Competition at RCR, confronted Creed, giving him a verbal thrashing moments after the frustrating finish that shattered the team’s title hopes. Reflecting on the infamous incident, Petree dropped in at the NASCAR studio to dissect the disappointing fallout.

He said, “Yeah, that was a very frustrating thing for us, I mean we put our guys right there on the front row, looked like we had a really good shot at getting at least one of them in, and super disappointing.” 

The veteran later showed true class when he made up for his mistake of jumping to conclusions before knowing the full context as he apologized to the 26-year-old for his outburst.

WATCH THIS STORY: Turmoil in the tracks: The RCR meltdown 

“It’s not what you think you see…”: Andy Petree realizes his mistake offering his apologies to Creed

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Saturday’s incident not only was a misunderstanding but also exposed the friction inside the RCR garage. For one, considering the severity of the scenario, RCR officials have every right to be frustrated. Watching their title contender and regular season champion wreck out allegedly because of his teammate is something no one wants.

Unfortunately, Richard Childress and Co. had to live through it all. But jumping to conclusions before even getting to the bottom of the situation worsened it for the team. Days after confronting Creed on the pit lane, the RCR VP realized his mistake as he publicly opened up about it on the studio floor.

He said, “I was really frustrated and probably should’ve handled it a little better than I did after the race but you know it’s not what you think you see, right? I thought that’s what it was but as it turns out they got together and bent the bumper bar on Sheldon Creed’s car going into 3 on the last corner and when he got down there he actually couldn’t turn the car left and then you see the tire smoke come off it and that’s what ran him up in front of Austin Hill. That’s why you should keep your mouth shut until you really understand all the facts.”

READ MORE: “I Don’t Buy It” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Doubles Down on His Defense for Richard Childress’s “Stupid” Driver

The 65-year-old later revealed that he reached out to Creed apologizing for his outburst. Meanwhile, Creed will be looking to leave the ugliness behind as soon as possible. It wouldn’t be too hard considering he has just one more race before he leaves the RCR stable.