What’s Happening?

A surprising candidate has reportedly thrown their hat into the ring at Haas Factory Team. While filling in on “The Morning Drive” on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Thursday, Lee Spencer of Catchfence reported that Sheldon Creed is now a candidate to join the new Haas Factory Team Xfinity Series program in 2025. However, his joining the team is far from a guarantee, and Spencer also reports that Ryan Preece could drive for the team

It would not surprise me to see Ryan Preece in one of the Haas Factory cars. Another name that I heard going into the Haas Factory car yesterday was Sheldon Creed. I don’t know how solid that is, but that would be three Xfinity teams in three years.

Candice Lee Spencer

• Sheldon Creed has had an up-and-down NASCAR career. After winning eight races and a Championship in three Craftsman Truck Series seasons between 2019 and 2021, he jumped to the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing in 2022. In two seasons with the team, he failed to win a race and had an ugly exit after 2023, punctuated by the Martinsville race where he and teammate Austin Hill failed to make the Championship 4 thanks to contact between the two in the closing laps.
• In 2024, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing full-time, and it’s been more of the same. While he’s run well overall and has been in contention to win races, he has yet to find that elusive first Xfinity Series win. He has three second-place finishes this season and 10 overall in his career.
• Haas Factory Team is looking to fill at least one and possibly two Xfinity Series seats for 2025. With Cole Custer joining the Cup Series operation, the team has offered Riley Herbst a contract for 2025, but Herbst is also exploring other potential options as well.

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Does This Make Sense?

Like Spencer said, it’s very unclear if Creed to Haas will actually happen. Still, it would be a major surprise for Creed to leave JGR, a top Xfinity Series team with direct support from Toyota, to join the Haas Factory Team.

Haas Factory Team is a largely unknown commodity. While it is being formed from the ashes of the current Stewart-Haas Racing, which is a genuine championship-contending organization in the Xfinity Series, next year will be a different year. Ford won’t consider Haas Factory Team a “Tier One” team at the Cup level, but it is unclear if Ford will give the same support on the Xfinity Series level that they currently do.

Lee Spencer dove more into why Creed might make this decision. She theorizes that it’s all about fit.

I think clearly it’s all about finding the right fit. Some people fit better into the Joe Gibbs Racing system. Some people might fit better in a Team Penske kind of deal. I’m just throwing names out there, but everyone has their own way of doing things.

Lee Spencer

Maybe Creed thinks he will perform better with the Haas Factory Team since it’s a better fit. The team also offers a potentially easier path upwards into the Cup Series.

As it stands right now, Creed has to contend with the crowded Toyota development pipeline to get into the Cup Series. From Corey Heim to teammate Chandler Smith to, eventually, William Sawalich, Creed has a lot of drivers to contend with to become a full-time Cup Series driver with Toyota.

Haas has a connection with Ford, whose development pipeline is more lean. If Creed joins a Ford Xfinity team, not only could he join the Haas Factory Team if they decide to expand in a year or two, but he could also pursue more Ford Cup Series opportunities with teams like Rick Ware Racing or The Wood Brothers should those seats open up.

Ryan Preece’s decision to go to Haas is far from surprising, and it makes a lot of sense. He already has the ability to connect with the team at SHR, and he’s a multi-time Xfinity Series winner. If he jumps down, he could potentially rebuild his career back to Cup or make a career out of racing in the second-tier series, similar to someone like Justin Allgaier.

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