Sheldon Creed sweeps Darlington with In It to Win It 200 domination

Stadium Super Trucks fans are more than familiar with Sheldon Creed. The two-time series champion holds the most wins in history (thirty-nine) and has swept five race weekends, including the 2021 season opener at St. Petersburg in April.

Now, Creed has translated that success into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as he won back-to-back races and swept a track for the first time in his stock car career. In dominating Sunday’s In It to Win It 200 by leading 105 of 147 laps, the reigning champion has won both Truck events at Darlington Raceway in 2021.

Creed, who won the playoff opener at Gateway two weeks prior, started on the pole and led the early laps before John Hunter Nemechek took the spot. Nemechek would lead to the stage win ahead of Matt Crafton, Zane Smith, Creed, Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland, Carson Hocevar, Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman, and Ben Rhodes; all but Kligerman were playoff drivers, while Austin Hill was the lone such driver not in the top ten as he placed twenty-second. Three cautions took place in the stage for a competition yellow, debris from Tate Fogleman‘s driveshaft coming off, and Colby Howard‘s spin in his first Truck start since 2019.

Creed reclaimed the lead to start Stage #2 and led until Chandler Smith took the spot on lap 64. Two laps later, Kris Wright and Jack Wood wrecked in turn four for a caution, with Rhodes also suffering damage. The restart saw Creed pull away once again while Smith was stuck battling with Kyle Busch Motorsports team-mate Nemechek for second, enabling Creed to take the segment victory. Smith held off Nemechek for the runner-up spot, followed by Crafton, Hocevar, Zane Smith, Gilliland, Friesen, Kligerman, and Tanner Gray. Gray is also not in playoff contention, while playoff contenders on the outside were Rhodes (twelfth) and Hill (fifteenth).

The final stage began on lap 98 with Creed still leading. Seven laps later, Lawless Alan was turned by Derek Kraus to warrant a caution. Kraus, who has garnered scrutiny from peers and fans for his driving and resulting incidents throughout the season, was called out by Alan’s Niece Motorsports team in a series of tweets beginning with calling him “a weapon” and adding it happens “Every. Single. Week.”

“Serious question @NAPARacing (NAPA Auto Parts),” continued Niece, “[D]o you sponsor Derek Kraus because he’s never finished a race without needing lots of replacement parts?”

NAPA eventually responded by asking if Niece wanted to use the brand’s 20% discount, prompting the team to answer if the deal is for “per wreck he’s caused? Or just the one?” The back-and-forth continued with Niece charging that NAPA would have to file for bankruptcy if the discount was given to “every one he’s wrecked this year” before offering to submit a list of teams that have been involved in wrecks with Kraus as “[a]ll his victims might have missed it…”

Josh Reaume spun on lap 110 for another yellow flag, with Hailie Deegan also taking damage. The race resumed on lap 116 with Creed still ahead. Although Nemechek and Friesen attempted to close the gap, neither could catch him as he led the remaining thirty-one laps to score his eighth career win.

As he also won at Darlington in May, he recorded his first consecutive wins and sweep of a track in a stock car. Both feats have been accomplished plenty of times in his off-road career, with weekend sweeps having come in SST at Toronto in 2014, Long Beach in 2016, Detroit in 2017, Texas in 2019 (also a NASCAR track), and the mentioned Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in April. He has also won back-to-back races ten times in a stadium truck, with his St. Petersburg sweep being joined by a win in Mid-Ohio Race #1 in June to produce a three-peat.

Regular season champion Nemechek finished second to secure a spot in the Round of 8, joining Creed.

Race results