Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 at Darlington Raceway

No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra News and Notes: 

• CREED AT DARLINGTON: Darlington is a race that Sheldon Creed and the No. 18 GR Supra team have had circled for quite some time now. Creed has been adamant that Darlington is his favorite race track on the schedule and he joins the crew that won the fall Xfinity Series race with Denny Hamlin last year. In four career starts at the historic track, Creed has one top-five, two top-10s, 47 laps led and a best finish of second in the fall of 2022. Creed also has two Craftsman Truck Series wins at the track.
• IVAN STEWART THROWBACK: The No. 18 team will honor off-road truck racing legend, Ivan Stewart, this weekend by running his iconic red, yellow, and orange Toyota scheme that he ran for most of his iconic 30-year career with Toyota. In his career, Stewart has accumulated 84 victories and 10 driver’s championships. The wins include 17 Baja 500s, eight Mint 400s, four Parker 400s, three Baja 1000s and four SCORE World Championships. As a California native who grew up racing off-road trucks himself, Creed’s ode to Stewart this weekend goes much deeper than paint schemes and shines a light on the inspiration that Stewart was to the next generation of racers.
• DOVER RECAP: Creed ran inside and around the top-five for most of the day at Dover, as he scored a fourth and fifth place finishes in the first two stages respectively. As the laps wound down, Creed found himself battling for the lead, and even led three laps late in the race. Unfortunately, hard racing and multiple cautions pushed Creed out of the lead. Despite coming close in the two overtimes, Creed ultimately ended the day in fourth, his fourth top-five of the year.
• TALE OF TWO SEASONS: Despite some disappointing results this year, Sheldon Creed’s worst finish when not inhibited by team penalties or mechanical failures is sixth. With a loose wheel in Las Vegas, an alternator failure in Circuit of the Americas, a brake rotor issue in Richmond, and a pit road safety violation in Texas, Creed’s speed has been overshadowed by mishaps and bad fortune. Even in races like Phoenix (sent to the back for unapproved repairs) and Talladega (involved in late-race caution), Creed has found a way to rebound and rally the team to strong finishes. That said, the silver lining is bright as in the races without adversity, he has scored four top-fives and six top-10s, thus displaying what the team is capable of when performing at their full potential.
• FRIENDS OF JACLYN FOUNDATION: Founded in 2005, the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers while raising awareness for said diseases. The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for children and their families battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers by pairing them with local teams, clubs, and community groups. FOJ has currently made over 1000 adoptions and their mission is to continue to raise awareness through our Adopt-A-Child, Safe on the Sidelines, and Guardian Angel Programs.
• ON THE PITBOX: Crew chief Sam McAulay will lead the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra crew this season. Despite his rookie status, McAulay is an established mind at JGR as he joined the organization in 2007 and worked his way up the ranks from intern to lead race engineer for the No. 11 Cup Series entry of Denny Hamlin. Since the start of his tenure on the No. 11 in 2017, McAulay has contributed to 25 victories, including three Daytona 500 wins and a Coke 600 win as a crew chief when he filled-in for the suspended Chris Gabehart in 2022.
• JGR AT DARLINGTON: Joe Gibbs Racing has 12 Xfinity Series wins at Darlington Raceway accompanied by 39 top-fives, 54 top-10s, 14 poles, and 1,494 laps led. Bobby Labonte, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Brandon Jones have all piloted JGR cars to victory lane.
• FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Creed’s 2024 season. 

Sheldon Creed, Driver of the No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra: 

“With Darlington being your favorite track on the schedule, what are you looking forward to this weekend?”

“I love Darlington. It’s a fun track to run and I feel like it suits my driving style particularly well. There’s a ton of history there, too. It’s easily one of the most iconic tracks we visit, so naturally it’s a place I get excited about racing at. I’ve also come close to winning my first Xfinity race here back in 2022, so I feel capable and confident going into this weekend. This is a race I have had circled on my calendar for awhile, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can accomplish on Saturday.”

Sheldon Creed’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington Raceway

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
4	0	1	2	0	47	9.0	18.3

Sheldon Creed’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season Stats

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
10	0	4	6	0	7	9.9	13.7

Sheldon Creed’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
80	0	15	3	1	352	10.2	15.9

-JGR-