Sheldon Creed looking to break through in more ways than one

There may not be a driver with more to prove over the final four weeks of the 2025 NASCAR season than Sheldon Creed. 

His story has been well documented: a Truck Series champion who has been consistent since his jump to the Xfinity Series, but also a driver who has been unable to find victory lane at the second-highest level of stock car racing in the world.  

Sheldon Creed looking to shock the world

Creed hasn’t been able to win an Xfinity Series race yet in 132 tries, but he’s made the Round of 8 the second time this season with another consistent campaign. As he tries to win an Xfinity Series championship and prove himself as a contender for a Cup Series opportunity, the penultimate round of the postseason looms with three wildly different tracks ahead: Las Vegas, Talladega and Martinsville. 

Las Vegas has been a hit-or-miss track for Creed. In seven starts at LVMS, he has four top-10 finishes, but those have been sandwiched in between finishes of 37th, 26th and 15th. Creed, who enters Saturday's race at Las Vegas 13 points below the cut line, will need to at least score his fifth Vegas top-10 in order to stay within striking distance. 

Then there's Talladega, a track where chaos reigns. The good news for Creed? He's avoided that chaos for the most part, finishing top-10 four times in six Talladega starts. He led nine laps at the 2.66-mile track in April, and a venue where Ford is often fast, don't be surprised if Creed is near the front.  

Finally there's Martinsville, a track where Creed's final playoff run with Richard Childress Racing came to an infamous end in 2023. Past controversies aside, however, Martinsville has been a great track for Creed.  

In seven Martinsville starts, Creed has five top-10 efforts, including a runner-up in March. Depending on his points position, Creed may need a victory at Martinsville in order to advance. 

If that's the case, he'll have to rise to the occasion not just in the title fight, but in the fight to finally take a trip to victory lane as well.