So close yet so far! 13 top-5 finishes so far this season but a win has been elusive for JGR’s #18 driver, Sheldon Creed. And that’s got to pinch. Quite contrary to what Creed had envisioned earlier: “I’ve earned my place in the Xfinity Series, but that’s not enough. I want to win in the Xfinity Series.”  Now that news confirmed Creed to switch to Haas Factory, it could be a match made on asphalt. Haas Factory, a team that is rising from the ashes of the shuttering Stewart-Haas Racing, could be the missing piece in the puzzle to finally score his first-ever Xfinity win!

Signing a multi-year agreement with Gene Haas, Creed will drive the No. 00 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in his fourth season of Xfinity. Not just Creed but Haas Factory is officially filled for their next season with the announcement of former JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer’s addition to their renumbered No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse stable the same day. But who inspired Creed to jump teams?

It was Cole Custer. Fresh from his championship exploits in 2023, Creed has regained the momentum with the #00 at the right time. Custer, who will be returning to the Cup fold driving Haas Factory’s No. 41 next season, enters the playoffs with two wins and the tag of regular season champion. Meanwhile, Riley Herbst will join him in the playoffs after a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So, Creed is hoping for a similar outcome. Here’s what Creed had to say about Custer when the former’s team update first hit the news,

“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. 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.”

On Thursday, Creed spoke for the first time on what really transpired the move on Thursday’s NASCAR Live Wide Open podcast. He began with a “First off, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.

“Honestly, it was purely a business decision to move on, just the way everything works. So I’m happy that I landed at my feet at a winning organization like Stewart Haas; it will be Haas Factory next year. And watching those cars 00, 98 racing with them this year. Their stuff is really good.”

“I feel really good about where we are at this year and finishing strong with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. And yeah, I have a lot to look forward to in the future of 2025-26.”

Although he has secured a ride for the next year, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is looking to give his all in the playoffs. The priority for him in the next seven races will be to open his account with a win. Winning wasn’t an issue for Sheldon Creed during his time in the Truck Series. He has 8 wins to his name in the series, along with a championship triumph in 2020. However, ever since he joined the Xfinity Series, he seemed to have hit the brick wall and has been unable to cross the finish line.

“Obviously, I want to be consistent these next seven races, but I would really love to win in this first round, win stages so our points are up, and would love to go win Vegas or Homestead and have an off weekend for Martinsville [in the Round of 8],” Creed shared.

In 2024 itself, the JGR driver has six second-place finishes. This includes back-to-back 2nd places in his last two races at Watkins Glen and Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s always been the case of him coming oh so close to winning a race and then falling short at the very last moment.

Can Sheldon Creed pick a win at Kansas Speedway?

The good news for Creed is that, despite his troubles with a lack of wins, he still has an opportunity to make amends in the playoffs.

“So yeah, that’s definitely a main focus is stage wins and and top-five stage points to get to the next round. Like you said, we’re negative three, which is three spots in a stage. So it’s definitely doable. Everyone’s going to be good. We start with 12, so two guys aren’t going to point in the stages. So it’s going to be really important this first round to capitalize on that,” he said.

All it takes is one win to overturn the fortunes of a race team, and this is exactly what the #18 team will be banking on with the race at Kansas Speedway. The Xfinity Series Race will take place on Sept. 28.

In 2023, the 1.5-mile track saw John Hunter Nemechek win after leading 154 of 200 laps. He won by over 7.5 seconds and became the number-one seed in the Playoffs. So it will be interesting to see what happens on Sept. 28. But coming back to Creed, he feels optimistic.

“Kansas is one of my favorite race tracks,” he shared. Creed had finished third last season in his second Xfinity start— 11.881 seconds behind Nemechek. “It’s probably my second favorite right behind Darlington, so I have high hopes going into this weekend. From here on out, every qualifying session, stage point, and race mean more than ever, so the pressure is on to execute.”