Sheldon Creed

Sheldon Creed Bio

Sheldon Michael Creed (born September 30, 1997) is an American professional stock car racing driver from Alpine, California. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 00 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Haas Factory Team. Before transitioning to stock cars, Creed built his reputation in short course off-road racing, where he won championships in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) and Stadium Super Trucks (SST), earning recognition as one of the most versatile American racing talents of his generation.

A two-time SST champion, Creed moved to stock cars in 2016 with the ARCA Racing Series and quickly rose through the ranks, winning the ARCA title in 2018 and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Championship in 2020. He is also a two-time X Games medalist in rally cross, having captured silver in 2014 and gold in 2015. Known by nicknames such as “the Showstopper” and “Silver,” Creed continues to pursue his first NASCAR national series victory after a series of strong runner-up finishes.

Early Life and Background

Sheldon Michael Creed was born on September 30, 1997, in Alpine, California, where his family had deep roots in motorsports. His father, Scott Creed, was a dirt bike rider who supported his son’s racing ambitions from a young age, while his grandfather, Maurice Ortega, was a late model racer at Cajon Speedway. Ortega later ran the underground utility construction company A.M. Ortega and sponsored Creeds’ off-road and NASCAR trucks, underscoring the family’s longstanding commitment to racing.

Creed began riding BMX bikes at the age of three, winning a state championship two years later. He later moved into motocross, winning two Barona MX Park championships in 2005 and finishing second in KTM’s Jr Supercross Challenge that same year. Following his mother’s concerns about potential injury, Creed shifted away from motocross and, at the age of eight, began competing in Quarter Midget racing with the Orange Show Quarter Midget Racing Association, where he set various track records.

As a child, Creed admired motocross stars Travis Pastrana and Jeremy McGrath, and his family developed a close friendship with seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who shared Creeds’ San Diego County roots. Like Creed, Johnson began his racing journey on dirt bikes at Barona before achieving success in off-road and stadium trucks as a teenager and eventually transitioning to stock cars.

Path to NASCAR

At the age of nine, Creed transitioned into Trophy Karts in Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR), finishing fourth in his first year. From 2009 to 2011, he won an LOORRS kart championship every season, including the Junior 1 Kart and Modified Kart titles in 2009, the Junior 2 Karts in 2010, and Modified Kart and SuperLite regional championships in 2011. In 2012, he clinched the LOORRS SuperLite national title with seven wins, and in 2014, at just sixteen years old, he became the youngest Pro Lite champion in series history.

Creed made his Stadium Super Trucks debut in May 2013 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, and at fifteen, he became the series’ youngest race winner with a victory at Honda Indy Toronto. He won the SST championship in 2015 and successfully defended it in 2016, establishing himself as one of the premier off-road racers in the United States. His success in off-road racing, combined with two X Games medals, helped Creed earn recognition as a rising star in American motorsports.

In 2014 and 2015, Creed began exploring stock cars through the World Series of Asphalt Pro Late Model championship at New Smyrna Speedway. In March 2016, he tested an ARCA Racing Series car at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway for Lira Motorsports, and the team later confirmed he would run a six-race slate that year. This opportunity marked the beginning of Creed’s transition from off-road racing to the national NASCAR ladder, a path that would ultimately lead him to the upper tiers of stock car competition.

Sheldon Creed Career

Early Career (2013–2016)

Creed’s professional racing career began in earnest in the Stadium Super Trucks and LOORRS, where he quickly established himself as a front-runner. In 2013, he earned two SST wins and five podium finishes in nine races, and the following year he swept the Toronto weekend en route to three wins and nine podiums. He also won a silver medal at X Games Austin 2014, becoming the youngest auto racer to win an X Games medal.

During this period, Creed also ventured into rally raid and desert racing. In 2016, at eighteen, he became the youngest driver to compete in the Dakar Rally, driving a Robby Gordon-owned Gordini. He also entered the 2016 SCORE International Baja 1000 in the UTV Pro Forced Induction class, though mechanical issues prevented a finish. These early experiences helped Creed develop the versatile race craft that would later prove valuable on pavement and oval tracks.

NASCAR ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2016–2018)

Creed’s ARCA Racing Series career began in 2016 with Lira Motorsports, where he posted a seventh-place finish in his debut at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. In 2017, running primarily with MDM Motorsports, he recorded five top-five finishes and eight top-ten results across eleven starts, including a pole at Kentucky Speedway and a runner-up finish at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack.

In 2018, Creed competed full-time in ARCA with MDM Motorsports, driving the No. 28. He opened the season with top-five finishes in all but one of the first seven races and scored his first series win at Michigan International Speedway in June after outlasting Riley Herbst and Quin Houff. Further victories came at Gateway Motorsports Park and Iowa Speedway, and a fourth win in the season finale at Kansas Speedway clinched the ARCA championship with sixteen top-fives in twenty races. He also won the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge by thirty-five points over Zane Smith, and on April 25, 2019, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame’s ARCA Wall of Champions.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Breakthrough (2019–2021)

Creed made his Truck Series debut in the 2016 Eldora Dirt Derby and made sporadic starts in subsequent seasons. In 2019, he competed full-time in the No. 2 for GMS Racing, recording two second-place finishes at Eldora and Michigan, but he missed the playoffs as he required a win to qualify. He ended his rookie season tenth in points with four top-fives and eleven top-tens.

The 2020 season marked a turning point, as Creed captured his first Truck victory in a lightning-shortened race at Kentucky Speedway in July. He added wins at the Daytona road course and Gateway Motorsports Park, entering the playoffs as the top-seeded driver. A victory at Texas in the penultimate round clinched his spot in the Championship 4, and a dramatic final race at Phoenix Raceway saw him pit prior to overtime before a strong restart propelled him to the lead and ultimately the championship, with five wins leading the series.

Creed remained in the No. 2 for the 2021 season and entered the playoffs as the fifth seed. He won the first two playoff races at Gateway and Darlington, but a crash at Las Vegas dropped him outside the top four in points. Although he finished ninth in the elimination race at Martinsville, he fell four points short of advancing to the Championship Round.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Era (2022–2023)

On September 14, 2021, Richard Childress Racing announced Creed would move up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2022. In his rookie season, he scored four top-fives and thirteen top-tens with an average finish of 17.5, finishing fourteenth in points despite nine DNFs. The 2023 season was even stronger, as Creed scored seven top-fives, fifteen top-tens, five runner-up finishes, and an average finish of 13.5, ending the year seventh in points.

Despite his consistency, Creed remained in search of his first Xfinity Series victory. At the 2023 Martinsville playoff race, he was in position for his first career win and a shot at the championship while battling teammate Austin Hill. On the final lap, contact between the two drivers in turn three led to a wreck in turn four, giving the win to Justin Allgaier and knocking both Creed and Hill out of championship contention. On October 11, 2023, Creed announced he would not return to RCR in 2024.

Haas Factory Team Era (2025–Present)

On December 13, 2023, it was announced that Creed would drive the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024, marking his first time in a Toyota in more than five years. He finished the season sixth in the final Xfinity Series points standings with sixteen top-fives, twenty-three top-tens, six runner-up finishes, and two poles. On August 17, 2024, Creed signed with Haas Factory Team to drive the No. 00 Ford in 2025, and the same day, he finished second to Justin Allgaier at Michigan, his eleventh runner-up in the series, breaking the record for the most second-place finishes in Xfinity history without a win.

Driving Style and Strengths

Creed is widely regarded for his car control and ability to recover from seemingly unavoidable spins, skills honed through years of off-road racing. His aggressive driving style proved highly effective in ARCA, though he has acknowledged that taming that aggression was essential for sustained success in NASCAR. He has shown particular strength on road courses and varied track types, drawing on his diverse background in off-road, stadium trucks, and stock cars to adapt quickly to different racing environments.

Notable Races and Milestones

Among Creeds’ most memorable career moments are his 2018 ARCA championship clinching win at Kansas Speedway, his 2020 Truck Series title run capped by a dramatic overtime restart at Phoenix, and his record-breaking stretch of Xfinity Series runner-up finishes. His October 2018 K&N Pro Series West victory at the Star Nursery 100 on Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s dirt track was also notable as the series’ first dirt race since 1979.

Sheldon Creed Career Wins

Sheldon Creed has built an impressive and varied resume across multiple racing disciplines, with championships in Stadium Super Trucks, ARCA, and the NASCAR Truck Series. His off-road success, including two SST titles and an LOORRS Pro Lite championship, established him as a versatile competitor before his stock car ascent.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights

As of mid-2025, Sheldon Creed holds the Xfinity Series record for the most career runner-up finishes without a victory, with fifteen second-place results through the Food City 300. His best finishes have included multiple near-wins at Darlington, Martinsville, and Michigan, and he has consistently ranked among the series’ top performers in top-fives, top-tens, and poles.

Other Wins & Performances

Beyond his national series work, Creed captured the 2018 ARCA Racing Series championship with four wins and twenty races, and the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Championship with five victories. He is a two-time Stadium Super Trucks champion (2015, 2016) with thirty-nine career SST wins, the most in series history, and a 2014 LOORRS Pro Lite Unlimited champion.

Sheldon Creed Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Creed was born into a racing family in Alpine, California, with his father Scott Creed being a dirt bike rider and his grandfather Maurice Ortega a late model racer at Cajon Speedway. Ortega runs the underground utility construction company A.M. Ortega and has sponsored Creeds’ off-road and NASCAR trucks. Creeds’ cousin Bronsen Chiaramonte, also an off-road racer, was the LOORRS Mod Kart Rookie of the Year in 2018.

Personal Life

Sheldon Creed is married to Cami Parsons, the twin sister of NASCAR driver Stefan Parsons. The couple welcomed a son named Axel on June 11, 2022. In his time away from the track, Creed enjoys watching extreme sports and listening to country music, including artists such as Florida Georgia Line.

2025 Season Performance

Sheldon Creed’s 2025 season marks his first full-time campaign with Haas Factory Team in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 00 Chevrolet Camaro SS. The move to a new organization represented a significant transition following his lone season at Joe Gibbs Racing, and early indications suggest Creed has adapted quickly to his new environment, posting competitive speeds and several strong finishes in the opening races.

Creed’s veteran experience, including a Truck Series championship and four full Xfinity seasons, has made him a steady presence on track. His consistency has been a defining trait, with the California native continuing to knock on the door of his first national series victory. Crew chief communications and team chemistry will be central to converting his many strong runs into a breakthrough win as the season progresses.

As the 2025 campaign unfolds, Creed remains a leading candidate to break through for his first NASCAR national series victory. With the support of Haas Factory Team and a deep foundation of success across multiple racing disciplines, he is well positioned to contend for wins, playoff contention, and potentially a championship run before the season concludes.