No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- CREED AT LAS VEGAS: Sheldon Creed has made five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and has earned mixed results up to this point. Creed earned his best finish at LVMS in his first start there, when he finished seventh in 2022. Since then, he has accumulated two top-10s and an average finish of 18.8, with five laps led. When he last raced there in the spring, Creed spent most of the day in the top-15 before a loose wheel led him to a 25th place finish. Creed also has six NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Las Vegas, with a best finish of second.
- ROVAL RECAP: Creed’s playoff campaign ended at the ROVAL after an early Stage Two wreck ended Creed’s day early and resulted in a 35th place finish. Prior to the wreck, Creed had to pit for transmission issues, which led to him getting mired in the back of the field and consequently getting caught up in the wreck that ended his day just laps later.
- 100 STARTS: Sheldon Creed will make his 100th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start this weekend in Las Vegas. Up to this point, he has accumulated 26 top-fives, 48 top-10s, and 453 laps led.
- TOP FIVE LEADER: Creed remains the series leader for top-five finishes in the Xfinity Series with 15, which also gives him an impressive 51% top-five rate on the season. He is currently on pace to record the most top-five finishes in an NXS season since Noah Gragson’s 21 top-five finishes in 2022.
- TOP TEN LEADER: Creed remains in a tie with Cole Custer and now Chandler Smith for the most top-10s on the year. The three drivers sit atop the season totals with 19 top-10 finishes each.
- STUCK ON SILVER: Creed’s second-place finish at Bristol marked his 13th career second-place finish in the Xfinity Series. With his sixth second-place finish of the year, Creed has now overtaken James Hylton for the all-time record across all three series for second-place finishes without a win. Remarkably, 50% (13/26) of his career top-fives have been second-place results.
- 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 LAS VEGAS: Joe Gibbs Racing has earned four Xfinity Series wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including John Hunter Nemechek’s victory earlier this year. In 86 combined starts at the track, the organization has tallied 27 top-five finishes, 48 top-10s, four pole awards, and 1,291 laps led.
- 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 Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, October 19, at 7 p.m. ET on The CW, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Sheldon Creed, Driver of the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Toyota GR Supra:
“Now that you’re out of the playoffs, what is your approach for the rest of the year?”
“We need to get a win. That’s the sole priority. Honestly with the way the playoff format is, there are some weeks where it is better to play it safe rather than go for the win, so as disappointed as I am about getting eliminated, I think this is our best chance all year to go and get a trophy. We’ve got one goal and one goal only from here on out and I’m willing to do anything it takes to get it done.”
JGR PR