No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- CREED AT DOVER: Sheldon Creed has finished eighth and 11th In two career Xfinity Series starts at Dover Motor Speedway, with his best finish coming in last year’s race. In addition to setting his career-best finish at the Monster Mile last year, Creed led 41 laps and overcame a mid-race spin to score a top-10 on the day. Cumulatively, Creed enters Dover this weekend with an average finish of 9.5, 41 laps led, and one top-10. In addition to Creed’s Xfinity Series experience, the 26-year-old driver also has two Craftsman Truck Series starts where he holds a 24.5 average finish and 60 laps led.
- TALLADEGA RECAP: Talladega was the definition of an up and down day for Creed and the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra team, which started off with Creed dropping to the rear at the start of the race due to a flat tire he obtained in qualifying. Despite earning no stage points in the first two stages, Creed made appearances at the front in the early parts of the race before finishing 22nd and 14th in the stages, respectively. On lap 113, Creed narrowly escaped a spinning Austin Hill with minimal damage, which after pitting for repairs, left him in an ideal position to make a run for the win if the race went to overtime. Unfortunately, after starting fifth in overtime, Creed was spun out on the restart. He rejoined for the second overtime in 16th and miraculously drove his way back to sixth in two laps to secure his fifth top-10 of the year.
- FOJ FRIENDS OF THE RACE: 11-year-old twins, Kameron and Finlee Salomon, will be in attendance as honorary team members on behalf of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Kameron is a brain cancer patient who has battled his diagnosis since he was six years old. Originally given a 30% chance of survival, Kameron has finished his chemotherapy and while not deemed ‘cancer-free’, he has continued to beat the odds and fight for his health for the past five years. Joe Gibbs Racing and Sheldon Creed look forward to providing the twins with an all-access experience this weekend in recognition of their strength and perseverance, while also giving them a day to take their minds off the battle they have fought for the majority of their young lives.
- TALE OF TWO SEASONS: Despite some disappointing results this year, Sheldon Creed’s worst finish when not inhibited by team penalties or mechanical failures is sixth. With a loose wheel in Las Vegas, an alternator failure in Circuit of the Americas, a brake rotor issue in Richmond, and a pit road safety violation in Texas, Creed’s speed has been overshadowed by mishaps and bad fortune. Even in races like Phoenix (sent to the back for unapproved repairs) and Talladega (involved in late-race caution), Creed has found a way to rebound and rally the team to strong finishes. That said, the silver lining is bright as in the races without adversity, he has scored three top-fives and five top-10s, thus displaying what the team is capable of when performing at their full potential.
- 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. The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for children and their families battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers by pairing them with local teams, clubs, and community groups. FOJ has currently made over 1000 adoptions and their mission is to continue to raise awareness through our Adopt-A-Child, Safe on the Sidelines, and Guardian Angel Programs.
- ON THE PITBOX: Crew chief Sam McAulay will lead the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra crew this season. 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.
- JGR AT DOVER: Joe Gibbs Racing has 14 Xfinity Series victories at Dover Motor Speedway, including a win in last year’s race with Ryan Truex. In 115 combined starts, JGR has compiled 42 top-fives, 71 top-10s, 2955 laps led, and 12 poles. Along with Truex, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin have all taken the checkered flag at Dover in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment.
- FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Creed’s 2024 season.
X: @sheldoncreed I Facebook: Sheldon Creed I Instagram: @Sheldoncreed I Website: sheldoncreedracing.com I YouTube: Sheldon Creed
- RACE INFO: Coverage of this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Dover Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, April 27th at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Sheldon Creed, Driver of the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra:
This team ran really well at Dover last year. How does that affect your expectations for this weekend?”
“I’m really excited to get out there. Joe Gibbs Racing was obviously super dominant at Dover last year, but I also felt like I had a good run there last spring. I think we have a strong chance to go out there and make some noise this weekend but you always have to remind yourself that nothing is promised in this sport. You have to earn every point, every position, every win. It doesn’t matter how fast we can be this weekend, everyone we’re up against is searching for speed just like us. We have to get out there and execute, and if we do, I like our chances of putting on a show on Saturday.”
JGR PR