(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Sheldon Creed Breaks Historic Winless Streak with First NASCAR O'Reilly Series Win at Atlanta

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 8:34 PM ET

In one of the best finishes we will likely see all season, Sheldon Creed drove through the mess to win his first-ever NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race. Multiple teams, 15 runner-up finishes, four full-time seasons in the series. Finally.

This is going to be one of the most popular wins of the year as well. Sheldon Creed has been a winner, no, a champion in just about everything he's raced. Two-time Stadium Super Trucks champion, ARCA Menards Series champion, Truck Series champion. Heck, he has an X Games silver and gold medal. So, it is only fitting that he has finally broken through in the O'Reilly Series.

Following his win, Creed gave a touching interview. He thanked his former teams, including Richard Childress Racing, where he left on a rather sour note. Austin Hill gave him a friendly bump on the cool-down lap. It is a win that seems to have, briefly, united even these two bitter rivals.

Sheldon Creed celebrates his first career win with a burnout. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

"I don't have to hear it again, you know?" Creed to PRN after the race. "If we can finish second five more times this year, I'm OK with it because we're finally a winner. To have it out of the way and out of the way early is awesome."

For Sheldon Creed, this has to be the most cathartic win of his entire career. He's a winner. Plain and simple. The outlier wasn't all of the evidence we had prior to his NASCAR O'Reilly Series career. He didn't win a Truck Series championship on a fluke. He wasn't ARCA champion because he lucked into it. The outlier wasn't his 39 wins in Stadium Super Trucks.

From here, the pressure is gone. Late race situations aren't so do-or-die for Creed. He has his win. Now, he can focus on replicating that result and, really, focus on competing for a championship. With those Hendrick engines, Haas Factory Team could be dangerous this season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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