No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- CREED AT DAYTONA: Sheldon Creed will make his Joe Gibbs Racing debut in the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra this weekend in the season-opening United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway. In his last visit to the historic superspeedway, Creed came just .005 seconds away from his first career Xfinity Series victory, as he finished just inches behind race-winner Justin Allgaier. The strong run tied his career-best finish of second place and marked his second top-10 in five career starts at the track. Heading into this weekend, Creed holds one top-five, two top-10s, 26 laps led, and an average finish of 22.4 in the Xfinity Series, as well as two top-10s and 24 laps led in three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at the high-banks of Daytona International Speedway.
- SEASON PREVIEW: Creed enters his third full-time Xfinity Series season with a new team and new manufacturer following his transition from Richard Childress Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing during the off-season. Fresh off a strong playoff run that led him to the round of eight in 2023, the 25-year-old Creed has proven himself as a formidable competitor in the Xfinity Series field and looks to build on the momentum he has created for himself leading up to this season.
- ON THE PITBOX:Rookie crew chief Sam McAulay will make his debut atop the pit box this weekend in the United Rentals 300. Despite his rookie status, McAulay is an established mind at JGR as he joined the organization in 2007 and worked his way up the ranks from intern to lead race engineer for the No. 11 Cup Series entry of Denny Hamlin. Since the start of his tenure on the No. 11 in 2017, McAulay has contributed to 25 victories, including three Daytona 500 wins and a Coke 600 win as a crew chief when he filled-in for the suspended Chris Gabehart in 2022.
- FRIENDS OF JACLYN FOUNDATION: Founded in 2005, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers while raising awareness for said diseases.
- JGR AT DAYTONA: Joe Gibbs Racing has earned four Xfinity Series victories at Daytona. In 120 combined starts at the track, the organization has posted 30 top-five finishes, 49 top-10s, seven pole awards, 749 laps led. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, and Tony Stewart each raced JGR entries to victory lane in Daytona.
- FOLLOW ALONG:Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Creed’s 2024 season.
X:@sheldoncreedI Facebook: Sheldon CreedI Instagram:@Sheldoncreed I Website: sheldoncreedracing.com
- RACE INFO: Coverage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, February 17, at 5 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Sheldon Creed, Driver of the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra:
“With all that has changed for you in the offseason, what are your thoughts going into the season opener?”
“I’m excited to get out there with my team. It’s been a busy offseason with a lot of hard work put into it, so to finally see everything come together is something I’ve been looking forward to. Hopefully, our hard work pays off and we can go out there and prove ourselves early on.”
“You came so close to winning last time you were at Daytona. Does that affect how you look at this race at all?”
“It’s a confidence boost for sure. I was proud of how I ran (at Daytona) last summer, and I think I learned a lot from that race in general. In terms of how I approach this weekend though, I just plan on taking the lessons from past years and applying them where I can and making sure I’m learning as much as possible when I get out there this weekend.”
Sheldon Creed’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Daytona International Speedway:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 5.2 | 22.4 |
Sheldon Creed’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | |||||||
70 | 0 | 11 | 29 | 1 | 345 | 10.3 | 16.3 |
JGR PR
