Creed Moves To JGR’s Xfinity Series Program

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Sheldon Creed will fill out Joe Gibbs Racing’s four-car lineup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as its second full-time driver, the team announced Wednesday.

Creed joins fellow teammate Chandler Smith in the pursuit of the Xfinity Series championship, moving to JGR after two years at Richard Childress Racing. He’ll pilot the team’s hallmark No. 18 Toyota GR Supra.

During Creed’s two-year tenure at RCR, the Alpine, Calif., native earned 11 top fives and 28 of his 29 career top-10 finishes in the Xfinity Series, as well as his first pole award last year.

The 25-year-old has 70 Xfinity Series starts on his resume, as well as the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship and eight wins, 23 top fives, 37 top 10s and one pole in 76 Truck Series starts.

Creed is a seven-time Xfinity Series runner-up and nearly won his first Xfinity Series race during the Round of 8 finale this fall at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. He was battling for the win in the last turn with then-teammate Austin Hill before contact with eventual winner Justin Allgaier relegated him to second.

On his way to the NASCAR national ranks, Creed earned the 2018 ARCA Menards Series title, with four wins and four poles during his championship-winning season.

Rookie crew chief Sam McAulay will guide Creed from atop the pit box next year, moving to the team’s Xfinity Series program after serving in an engineering role with JGR in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Prior to pairing with Creed, McAulay spent eight years as the lead race engineer for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota team at the Cup level. He was part of 25 premier series victories with Hamlin, including all three of Hamlin’s Daytona 500 triumphs.

McAulay also led Hamlin to the win in the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 while serving as the interim crew chief.

The move reunites McAulay with JGR’s Xfinity Series program, as he spent three years as an engineer on the No. 20 Xfinity Series team from 2013-’15.

Wednesday’s announcement ends more than a month of waiting for Creed’s silly season shift, after Hill tipped the move in media interviews following the pair’s collision on the final lap at Martinsville.

“I'm pretty excited for him to go to his next adventure over at (Joe) Gibbs (Racing), and I don’t have to put up with him anymore,” declared Hill to NBC Sports at the time. “I can have Jesse Love as my teammate, and hopefully he races me better, races me cleaner.”

Love’s appointment to Creed’s former ride – the No. 2 RCR Chevrolet – was made on Oct. 25, days before the Martinsville Xfinity Series race.

Alongside Creed and Smith, two JGR entries with a rotation of drivers will complete the team's Xfinity Series squad for next season.

Creed will kick off his pursuit of the NASCAR Xfinity Series crown during the United Rentals 300, Feb. 17 at Daytona Int’l Speedway. Race coverage will be on FS1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.