Driver Q & A Sheldon Creed

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

Sheldon Creed is one of NASCAR’s bright young faces. The 2020 Camping World Truck Series champion is known for his laid-back personality, walking around the garage area calm, cool and collected. On the race track, though, the GMS Racing driver is as intimidating as it gets. The Californian methodically drives his way through the field just like one of his mentors, Jimmie Johnson. Now, as Creed looks to make a name for himself and advance through the NASCAR ranks, he believes he is capable of becoming a champion at a higher level. Here’s how he plans on accomplishing his goals.

I feel like last year at this time we were in a little bit better of a position. Our trucks were more consistent and more competitive. This year, we’ve shown speed and we got a win, but

I feel like we were in a better spot. I think we can be a threat through the playoffs. We’re capable of winning more races this year, and that’s our goal. That’s what we plan to do.

I feel we’re pretty similar to last year. I want to be calmer in the truck when it’s not doing what I want. I take what it gives me. Over the last couple of years, we’ve had fast trucks and got good finishes. We’ve struggled more this year than we have in the past. I’ve tried to get better with that and take a truck that’s not doing what I want and still get a good finish out of it. When we get those good trucks, it becomes easier to win.

I try to relay information, what it’s doing and when it’s doing it. We need to figure out why. We’re going to places with setups where we dominated last year and we’re running 15th this

year. GMS running five trucks makes it tough to get things changed, just like anywhere that runs multiple cars or trucks to get everyone on the same page. It took some time, and now we’re headed in the right direction. We’re trying to get our teammates on the same page.

Our group works out with Josh Wise. He has us doing road biking, mountain biking and running. We’re in the gym on most days. It might not always be fun, but it’s fun when we do it as a group. It’s a lot of work. But if you want to be good, that’s what it takes.

Josh is awesome. I love the guy. He’s super fun, motivating and keeps it real. He makes things a lot of fun. He’s taught me so much about racing and life in general. Everyone would agree that he’s the key component to our success.

I can win, and that’s important. I feel like my background is so diverse. Off the track, I’m sellable. I get along with people and I can relate to a lot of people. I feel like I’m a normal person away from the track unlike others who may think they’re somebody they may not be. I’m a normal kid who happens to be good at driving race cars.

I enjoy it. It’s fun to go back and forth between vehicles. In Stadium Super Trucks, I have a lot of seat time. They’re a ton of fun for me. They’re not easy to drive because they have a lot of horsepower and not a lot of grip. I love jumping, especially growing up riding dirt bikes. I ran micro sprints at Millbridge Speedway. Then, obviously NASCAR. It’s fun to switch it up and not be in the same thing every day.

Win. That’s the biggest thing and all anyone cares about. We need to get partners to do business with. It’s the only thing that will keep myself racing and others racing.

Man, I feel like I’ve had so much from so many different people. Jimmie Johnson has been there and has given me advice at so many different tracks. Lorin Ranier told me smart people win races. It seems so simple, but I’ve always thought about that. You have to be smart and methodical to win races.

In the trucks, we don’t have a lot of data. In Xfinity and Cup, they have SMT data to see gas, brakes and steering traces. It’s a cool tool to look at when I can. You can follow along with what different drivers are doing. You can see what their driving styles are like and make it work for you. The simulator and iRacing are fun tools to use. There’s something to learn with everything.