NASCAR penalizes Xfinity Series driver Sheldon Creed for purposely wrecking Sammy Smith

NASCAR has penalized Xfinity Series driver Sheldon Creed for intentionally causing the Lap 69 accident during this past Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway.

NASCAR came to the determination after reviewing radio communications from the No. 2 team that Creed deliberately wrecked Sammy Smith, per Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. Creed has been docked 25 points in the Xfinity Series points standings, dropping him from seventh place to eighth place. Additionally, NASCAR levied a $25,000 fine against Creed.

More issues for multiple cars on lap 69! (📺: USA) pic.twitter.com/rgeCQdeEzI

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 24, 2023

“Following Saturday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway, NASCAR reviewed radio communications from the No. 2 team,” NASCAR said in a statement. “In NASCAR’s determination, that communication clearly resulted in the No. 2 car wrecking the No. 18 car on Lap 69, causing the seventh caution of the race.”

Pockrass added the penalty is similar to the one handed out to Denny Hamlin for dumping Ross Chastain last year at Phoenix. Hamlin lost 25 points and received a $50,000 fine — Cup Series fines being bigger due to the purses being bigger.

Creed, 25, is in his second full-time season driving the No. 2 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. Creed is winless on the season, though he’s recorded 2 top 5s and 6 top 10s in 15 starts. He finished 14th in the points standings last season. Prior to moving up to the Xfinity Series, Creed shined in the Craftsman Truck Series behind the wheel of the No. 2 Chevrolet for GMS Racing. In 2020, he won five races en route to winning the Craftsman Truck Series championship. He raced his way to victory lane three times in 2021, finishing 5th in the points standings.

Sheldon Creed aiming to make it to NASCAR Cup Series

Creed told Michael Massie of Frontstretch in April that his ultimate goal is making it to the Cup Series. He admitted, however, that he needs to start stacking up wins to make it happen.

“I mean, not winning is certainly not helping,” Creed said. “No, I’m certainly being watched. Myself included, I expected way more out of this last year, but we just rode the struggle bus. So, yeah, need to win. I mean, that’s the bottom line. I need to win to move up.

“But I don’t think it’s my last year. I think I probably have two years. I mean, Noah [Gragson] did four years in Xfinity and was pretty good in his second and third year and then had like a breakout last year. So I am almost 26 [years old] now too, so I need to figure it out. But, no, I think I have time still.

“[…] I think it just depends on timing too. Like are seats opening up? If a big Cup team’s got a — if someone’s retiring, are they going to grab someone from Xfinity or Trucks or are they going to grab someone that’s already in Cup that’s maybe in a lesser car? So I just need to be winning at the right time, and the right person needs to like you and have a good sponsor to go with you.”