The day Sheldon Creed had waited more than four years for finally arrived on Saturday at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Driving the No. 00 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Haas Factory Team, he reached Victory Lane for the first time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The win came in his 138th start and reflected an extraordinary level of perseverance.
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Creed spoke to the press in the aftermath and reflected on what he would tell his younger self from 10 years ago. He debuted in the ARCA Menards Series in 2016 before making the jump to the Truck Series in 2019. In both avenues, he found a strong level of success and entered the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2022 with the confidence to win right away.
Fate, however, had other plans. It took Creed time to figure out what it truly takes to win a race at this level.
He answered with this experience in mind, “I would say that to myself 10 years ago or anyone… Just work hard and keep being patient. It’s not how I drew it up. I drew it up to win in my first year in the series. We are at 137. I wish I could have a Connor Zilisch story where you come in and dominate. It’s just not my story. Keep working hard.”
“It’s not how I drew it up.”
“I’d say this is close.”@sheldoncreed on what his present self would tell himself from 10 years ago. He also touches on if this moment is bigger than the championship.#NASCAR | #Bennett250 | @MtrsprtsToday pic.twitter.com/3Ziqn2DFYE
— Tim Moore (@IveBeenTimMoore) February 22, 2026
Zilisch, a full-time driver for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series now, was a full-time driver in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last year. In just his maiden season in the show, he created history by reaching Victory Lane 10 times. His achievement was spoken of greatly across the racing world, and he is firmly positioned to become one of the best in the sport.
The importance of showing up
When Creed entered the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series as a rookie, he was already the champion of the Truck Series. Any driver in his position would imagine themselves winning a race at the new level as early as possible. He did too.
He told CW Sports, “I’ve been a loser the last couple of years, and I kept showing up. It’s not how you draw it up when you’re a Truck Champion.” He finished as the runner-up 15 times since the start of his stint. This earned him all sorts of jokes and trolls about not being good enough to win a single race.
The frustration that such days caused is why he wants to celebrate the success greatly. Perhaps he will make up for all those years that went by without wins by securing more in 2026.
