First win for Sheldon Creed in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

Austin Hill had the Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 won. He led 34 laps at EchoPark Speedway, more than any other driver, and was coming off a win at Daytona a week ago where he had total control for 78 of 120 laps. He was seeking his sixth victory in the last eight races at this track, where Richard Childress Racing has five consecutive wins in the Daytona event, a streak that tied the record held by Dale Earnhardt Inc. between 1990 and 1994. But Ross Chastain hit him in the left rear bumper coming out of turn 2 on the last lap, and Sheldon Creed drove cleanly through the gap to take his first victory in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in the No. 00 Chevrolet for Haas Factory Team, beating Parker Retzlaff by 0.309 seconds.

Hill had started 20th and worked through traffic all night until taking the lead on lap 105. Chastain, who had led 22 laps in the third stage in the No. 32 for Jordan Anderson Racing, got a big run on the backstretch of the final lap and couldn't check up in time, making contact with Hill's left rear coming out of turn 2. The contact knocked Hill out of the line and opened a gap through which Creed, running third, drove cleanly to take the checkered flag by 0.309 seconds over Parker Retzlaff.

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"No excuses, I spun him, it is what it is, for sure," Chastain said after watching the replay. "And it bothers me that I did that to another Chevy, but I'm glad Sheldon was there to pick it up. I don't want to spin these guys, I'm not trying to wreck coming to the line. But when I got the run on the backstretch, I just didn't do it right."

Hill finished 12th and was equally direct. "I let the gap open up a little bit coming out of turn 2 so I wouldn't get too exposed, but I ended up more open than I wanted. I knew I had to block and I was trying to square myself up, but it looks like he hit me in the left rear on purpose. I don't know. We're going for the win, so I'm not going to say I should have done this or that."

15 Second-Place Finishes and Four Years Without a Win

Creed hadn't visited Victory Lane since 2020, when he won the Truck Series championship with five victories that season. In the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, he had been consistently fast with Haas Factory Team, but those 15 second-place finishes that became a series record spoke of someone who was always there but could never close the deal. He entered the last lap in third, saw Hill and Chastain make contact ahead, and drove through the gap.

"Unbelievable," were his first words after receiving the checkered flag from the starter. "Finally a winner. It wears you down, not winning. I don't think one win is going to change things completely, but maybe a few more will. It could get me back on the Cup radar, and obviously I'd love that."

The driver rating confirms Creed didn't win just by opportunity. He posted a 117.68, the highest among the 38 drivers on track, and led 17 laps spread across six different periods, indicating a car that was consistently up front and not just at the end due to the incident between Hill and Chastain. His teammate Sam Mayer finished seventh after starting from the pole and leading the first 25 laps.

Retzlaff's Comeback

Parker Retzlaff finished second in the Chevrolet for Viking Motorsports after starting from 23rd. He recorded 178 green flag passes, the highest number of the entire race, with a positive pass differential of +34 and 153 quality passes, first in both categories. He spent the entire night advancing position by position until he was fighting for the win and moved up six spots in the championship to fifth place with 74 points.

Nick Sanchez finished third for AM Racing, his third top-5 in three races at this track, and Corey Day was fourth for Hendrick Motorsports. Jesse Love, Hill's teammate at RCR, closed in fifth after leading 31 laps, the second-highest total of the night. At Daytona, Love had admitted to being "one step behind Austin" in these types of races and that he needed more patience, but at Atlanta he again burned his options in the final laps with aggressive moves that took him out of direct contention.

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Caruth Moves to Second in Championship

Rajah Caruth finished eighth for JR Motorsports in his first full season with the team, but what's interesting is what he did during the race. He led 22 laps, a personal best, and recorded the second-best driver rating of the event with 110.00, indicating a driver who ran up front on merit and not just through pit strategy. He moved up six spots in the standings to second place with 82 points, 22 behind Hill.

The victory allowed Creed to jump 17 positions in the overall standings to third with 80 points, tied with Love who dropped to fourth. Allgaier, second at Daytona, fell to sixth with 69 points after finishing 33rd due to an accident on lap 106, and Carson Kvapil also lost ground after retiring on the same lap. Hill maintains the lead with 104 points and one win, but Atlanta cost him a result that would have significantly extended his advantage.

COTA is Next

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races next Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Focused Health 250 (2 p.m. Central time). It will be the first road course test of the season. Connor Zilisch won this race last year and returns to defend it in the No. 1 for JR Motorsports, now as a regular Cup Series driver.