Sheldon Creed gets overtime Texas Truck victory

Brett Moffitt gave GMS Racing teammate Sheldon Creed a forceful invitation to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship party.

Already qualified for the Championship 4 race at Phoenix, Moffitt pushed Creed’s No. 2 Chevrolet clear of Austin Hill’s Toyota as the trucks approached the start/finish line for the white-flag lap in overtime. That was the impetus Creed needed to win Sunday’s SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway and join Moffitt in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway with a chance to win the title.

“Man, what a good truck my guys put together,” said Creed, who picked up his fourth win of the season, the fourth of his career and his first at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth Track. “We’ve been inconsistent here, but we’ve always had speed, and today, man, just awesome. I finally won in front of my mom and dad. They’re here today. … 

“Two trucks locked in for the organization—that’s awesome—and hopefully we can get the other two (Zane Smith and Tyler Ankrum) or at least one more next weekend. Hard racing today. Man, it’s crazy. We’ve just been working for this all year, and I feel like I’ve improved so much and put so much work into this. Man, going to Martinsville stress-free is so nice.”

Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet, and Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Chi Chi’s/Menard’s Ford, lead the field during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

In a race that produced 10 cautions, there was action throughout, but none more dramatic than the catastrophic battle for the lead between Stewart Friesen and Johnny Sauter, both of whom are winless this year. 

After a restart on Lap 125, Friesen forced Creed up the track and grabbed the lead on Lap 127, with Johnny Sauter following into second place. Three laps later, Sauter tried a similar move on Friesen, with disastrous results.

Sauter’s No. 13 Ford broke loose under Friesen’s No. 52 Toyota and carried both trucks into the outside wall, adding misery to star-crossed seasons for both drivers. The wreck restored Creed to the lead for a restart on Lap 136.

Creed won the first stage wire-to-wire, but three-time series champion Matt Crafton passed him for the lead with five laps left in Stage 2 and held the top spot to the finish of the 35-lap segment. 

The first playoff driver to suffer serious issues was ThorSport Racing’s Grant Enfinger, whose engine expired in a cloud of smoke on Lap 92. Enfinger, who entered the race seven points below the cut line, now must claim victory in next Friday’s night race at Martinsville to advance to the Championship 4.

“We just blew up,” Enfinger said. “It just wasn’t meant to be. On to Martinsville next week—must-win. Looking forward to the challenge.” 

Hill held the runner-up spot at the finish, followed by GMS Racing’s Zane Smith. Those two Playoff drivers remained above the current cutoff for the Championship 4. Raphael Lessard ran fourth, followed by Moffitt.

Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Crafton, Austin Wayne Self, Dylan Lupton, Derek Kraus and Tanner Gray completed the top 10. Crafton remains 12 points below the cut line heading to Martinsville.

In his first race in more than five years, 2012 series champion James Buescher went a lap down during the first 35-lap stage but recovered to finish 15th in his debut in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet.

Race Results

Fin Str No. Driver Team Laps Status Led
1 1 2 Sheldon Creed (P) Chevy Truck Month Chevrolet 152 Running 131
2 3 16 Austin Hill (P) AISIN Group Toyota 152 Running 1
3 6 21 Zane Smith # (P) Pit Boss Chevrolet 152 Running 0
4 20 4 Raphael Lessard # CANAC Toyota 152 Running 0
5 2 23 Brett Moffitt (P) Concrete Supply Chevrolet 152 Running 0
6 7 88 Matt Crafton (P) Chi Chi’s/Menard’s Ford 152 Running 13
7 18 22 Austin Wayne Self Margins PAC/Go Texan Chevrolet 152 Running 0
8 29 17 Dylan Lupton Crosley Ford 152 Running 0
9 11 19 Derek Kraus # SHOCKWAVE/ENEOS Toyota 152 Running 2
10 23 15 Tanner Gray # Ford Performance Ford 152 Running 0
11 16 56 Tyler Hill Hill Motorsports Chevrolet 152 Running 0
12 28 24 Chase Purdy BamaBuggies.com Chevrolet 152 Running 0
13 25 3 Jordan Anderson Sefton Steel Chevrolet 152 Running 0
14 22 20 Spencer Boyd E1 Motorsports Chevrolet 152 Running 0
15 36 42 James Buescher FHE Fraclock Chevrolet 152 Running 0
16 9 26 Tyler Ankrum (P) LiUNA! Chevrolet 152 Running 0
17 19 30 Danny Bohn North American Motor Car/Blue Buffalo Toyota 152 Running 0
18 26 41 Dawson Cram Magnum Contracting Inc. Chevrolet 152 Running 0
19 32 0 Josh Bilicki(i) Texas Mobile Radiology Toyota 151 Accident 0
20 8 99 Ben Rhodes (P) Tenda Heal Ford 151 Running 1
21 5 51 Chandler Smith JBL Toyota 151 Running 0
22 30 83 Ray Ciccarelli CMI Motorsports Chevrolet 151 Running 0
23 15 13 Johnny Sauter Vivitar Ford 150 Running 0
24 31 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Fastener Supply Company Chevrolet 149 Running 0
25 10 18 Christian Eckes # Safelite AutoGlass Toyota 145 Accident 0
26 35 6 Norm Benning H & H transport Chevrolet 143 Running 0
27 34 33 Josh Reaume Colonial Countertops Toyota 131 Brakes 0
28 21 52 Stewart Friesen Halmar Racing To Beat Hunger Toyota 129 Accident 4
29 13 45 Trevor Bayne AirPower Foundation Chevrolet 118 Engine 0
30 27 44 Natalie Decker Ruedebusch Development Chevrolet 115 Vibration 0
31 12 38 Todd Gilliland Frontline Enterprise Inc Ford 105 Accident 0
32 4 98 Grant Enfinger (P) Champion/Curb Records Ford 91 Engine 0
33 17 2 Tate Fogleman # Solid Rock Carriers Chevrolet 51 Accident 0
34 14 40 Ryan Truex Marquis Chevrolet 49 Suspension 0
35 24 68 Clay Greenfield Rackley Roofing Toyota 42 Accident 0
36 37 14 Trey Hutchens III Vytal Studios Chevrolet 36 Ignition 0
37 33 49 Tim Viens CMI Motorsports Chevrolet 29 Accident 0