Creed Wins Crazy Playoff Opener at Gateway

Photo Credit to Jeff Curry/Getty Images for NASCAR

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Sheldon Creed Wins Marathon Playoff Race 1 from Gateway

MADISON, ILL. – It may have taken close to three hours, but the Truck Series did complete their Playoff-opening round from Gateway. Defending series champion Sheldon Creed was the class of the field all night long, leading 142 laps and sweeping all Stages en route to the victory. Creed and the GMS Racing No. 2 team are now locked into the Truck Series Round of 8. Many of his Playoff competitors found trouble though, and have to claw their way back over the next two races. Being a full moon Friday night, Gateway certainly did not lack any drama. A power outage, a huge crash, and also an overtime finish were just a few highlights of this wild race.

Playoff Rookie Faces Early Setback

After starting 12th, Chandler Smith had to rally early in order to catch his Playoff foes. His charge forward would not last long however. Lap 25 saw the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 18 go up in a cloud of smoke. Smith would subsequently take his Toyota Tundra behind the wall with a right rear hub issue. While Smith would later return to the race many laps down, he would only salvage a 28th-place finish. As a result, the teenager leaves Gateway at the bottom of the Playoff grid.

Not long after Creed won Stage 1, a caution would fly again for a very peculiar reason. A power outage afflicted World Wide Technology Raceway, causing many lights to go dark. This also knocked out NASCAR Timing & Scoring, thus a red flag ensued. A local fire outside of the racetrack was the culprit behind this loss of electricity, but the issue would be rectified in about an hour. Once racing resumed, Creed would run off again for another Stage win.

Late in Stage 2 would also see another Playoff driver face adversity. Zane Smith pitted from the top five, reporting a brake issue. After diagnosing a terminal problem, Smith parked the No. 21 behind the wall and was done for the night. Gateway was clearly not kind to either Smith, as they both faced early troubles. After running in the top five and leading laps earlier, Zane Smith would leave Gateway 35th.

 

Restart Ruckus Takes Out Contenders

The restart after Stage 2 would quickly turn into madness, as four-wide racing down the front stretch ended in calamity. Contact would send Tyler Ankrum’s No. 26 Chevrolet across the track sideways, into the paths of many other vehicles. In total, 10 Trucks would be involved in this melee. This also included Playoff contenders Todd Gilliland, Austin Hill, and Carson Hocevar. Both John Hunter Nemechek and Ben Rhodes also sustained some damage, but were able to continue. The 4 spent a brief time behind the wall with a brake issue. With this carnage though, half of the 10 Playoff drivers had faced some major issue in just over 100 laps.

When racing resumed, the few Playoff contenders left up front definitely calmed down, with the bigger picture in mind. Creed rocketed off yet again, quickly building up a two-second lead. Laps quickly clicked on by, as the field became strung out. One final incident would send this race into overtime however, when Tanner Gray spun after racing Carson Hocevar. Each young driver was fighting for a spot inside the top 10.

Despite the unknown of an overtime restart in an already-chaotic race, Sheldon Creed nailed it. The 2 fired off well ahead of the field and was able to hold on for two laps to secure a dominant win. For the second-consecutive season, the 2 has won at Gateway. Creed has now punched his ticket to the Round of 8. He is likewise one step closer to repeating as Truck Series champion.

Creed’s Winning Reaction

“Gosh, just my guys put together such a good truck,” Creed said in victory lane. “We’ve been working really hard all year. Obviously we haven’t had the speed at times and I’ve made mistakes at times, but we just built this brand new truck. I feel like we’ve taken everything we’ve learned this year and just applied it. The Toyotas have been really fast, but my guys gave me a hot rod today and I couldn’t be happier.”

“I love late-race restarts. I didn’t want it, but when it came out I was just thinking, okay, just focus and execute.”

“This is huge,” he added. “I’ve had such a stressful month trying to figure out what I’m doing next year, so many mixed emotions on what I’m going to do and if I’ll even have a ride. Biggest thing is to keep winning and get ourselves in the Championship 4 and execute.”

Top 10 Results From Gateway

Behind Creed were a few ThorSport Playoff teammates in Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes. Contender Stewart Friesen and non-Playoff driver Johnny Sauter rounded out the top five. Chase Purdy, Hailie Deegan, Carson Hocevar, Austin Wayne Self, and Jack Wood were the rest of the top 10.

With the seventh-place result, Hailie Deegan earned her first career top 10 in her 17th start. Deegan is the fourth woman in Truck Series history to earn a top 10, and the first to do so outside of Daytona.

The top four plus Hocevar in eighth meant that half of the Playoff drivers did not earn a top 10. John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Hill both finished 22nd and 23rd, respectively.

Playoff Standings

With the win, Sheldon Creed is secured for the Round of 8, and does not have to worry about the next two races. John Hunter Nemechek is 55 points ahead of the cutline, relatively safe with all of his bonus points. Ben Rhodes is also just behind the 4 at +52, with a big drop off behind the 99.

What’s Next for Trucks

After a week off, the Truck Series returns to Playoff action at Darlington Raceway. Round two of the 2021 postseason is sure to be wild, as the spring Darlington truck race turned into mayhem. Coverage of the Chevrolet Silverado 250 is Sunday, September 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Can Creed pull off a Darlington season sweep and remain perfect in the Playoffs? Who else can have a statement day?

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo by Jeff Curry/Getty Images for NASCAR