Sheldon Creed opened the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase with a commanding victory at Darlington Raceway, turning the first of nine postseason races into an immediate championship statement. The result gave him his second career series win and moved him within seven points of leader Justin Allgaier.
Creed entered the Fleetio 200 from 13th on the starting grid and struggled with the handling of his No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet during the opening run.
Crew chief Jonathan Toney continued adjusting the car throughout the night, while an alternate tire strategy helped Creed climb through the field and finish Stage 2 in third place.
What a way to start The Chase!@sheldoncreed wins a thriller at @TooToughToTame. pic.twitter.com/89ozIMYy6i
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) September 6, 2026
His pit crew then delivered the decisive moment. The No. 00 team moved Creed ahead of Corey Day during the final stage break and gave him control of the restart. Creed defended the lead through two late restarts before pulling away during a long green-flag run.
“Oh, this is everything to me,” Creed said in Victory Lane. “I’ve been so close here so many times, and if I could pick a place on the schedule to get a win, this is it.”
Sheldon Creed confesses he wasn’t happy with his car initially
Creed led the final 53 laps and crossed the finish line 2.961 seconds ahead of Day. As the tires wore down and several title contenders lost speed, Creed maintained his advantage without making a costly mistake around Darlington’s narrow, unforgiving layout.
“To be honest, I wasn’t real happy with the car the first run, and we worked on it all night,” Creed said. “JT and the boys just gave me kind of what I needed there at the end, and I was able to get away.”
Darlington already ranked among Creed’s strongest tracks before Saturday’s success. He had previously finished second there in the O’Reilly Series, recorded two Truck Series victories at the speedway in 2021 and earned seven top-10 results across nine starts in NASCAR’s second-tier division.
Creed took 138 starts to bag his first O’Reilly Series win at EchoPark Speedway in February, but he required only a few months to add another trophy. His performance in Darlington also gave Haas Factory Team its second win of the season.
On the other hand, Day recovered from contact with William Sawalich and right-front damage to finish second. Brent Crews claimed third, while Chase contenders Sammy Smith and Austin Hill completed the top five.
Anthony Alfredo followed in sixth after winning Stage 2, with Taylor Gray, Sam Mayer, Jeremy Clements and Brandon Jones filling the remaining top-10 positions.
Allgaier controlled much of the early race, won Stage 1 and led a race-high 60 laps. However, his car lost handling during the closing run, and contact with the outside wall sent him backward to 17th. That knock reduced the regular-season champion’s advantage from 35 points to seven.
We’ve got a battle on our hands … pic.twitter.com/BQIPInCX4q
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) September 6, 2026
Carson Kvapil ended the night 12th and took third in the standings, 19 points behind Allgaier. Hill trails the leader by 36, while Day sits fifth with a 46-point deficit.
Parker Retzlaff finished 21st, and recurring fuel-pickup trouble dropped Rajah Caruth to 26th after he had recovered from two laps down and reached sixth.
Creed celebrated the victory with his wife and children at the track, but then made his championship intentions clear.
“I don’t know where everyone stacked us, but hopefully we kind of put our name on the card,” Creed said. “Hopefully we can make a run for this championship.”
The Chase continues with the Nu Way 225 at World Wide Technology Raceway on September 12.