Creed's Stage Three Surge Results in Darlington Win!

Sheldon Creed (Mike Watters-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

DARLINGTON, S.C. - The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series kicked off the return of The Chase, Saturday, September 5, as the series made its second and final trip to Darlington Raceway for the Fleetio 200. JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil stated on pole, but it was Shleldon Creed who earned the opening race win.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

While Kvapil started on the pole, it was teammate Justin Allgaier who shined early. Allgaier had a great start and led the majority of the opening stage. The only thing deterring Allgaier from leading every lap was a caution on lap 33, as mixed pit strategy saw Allgaier restart 5th.

On the restart on lap 41, Allgaier powered immediately to 2nd in the first corner, and then took the lead back down the backstretch as he was to not be denied.

Kvapil, who was over 3 seconds behind his teammate during the first run brought a challenge as he attempted to make a pass for the lead with two laps to go, but it was not enough. Allgaier was to strong to be denied and won the opening stage.

Strategy continued to be in the mix for stage two, as a few incidents including a caution on lap 67 after Corey Day of Hendrick Motorsports tangled with William Sawalich of Joe Gibbs racing allowed teams to get on differing tire strategies.

The big winner wasn't Justin Allgaier or Carson Kvapil. In fact, it was an underdog. In the closing laps of the stage, the #96 Chevrolet for Viking Motorsports Anthony Alfredo was on rails! He powered around Carson Kvapil with ease and pulled away to earn the stage victory!

As for Kvapil and Allgaier, strategy caught up to pass them, as Kvapil faded to 5th to exit the stage, while Allgaier finished 6th. The surprise was Corey Day, who despite having damage from his incident with Sawalich, finished 2nd. Sammy Smith also shined earning 4th, the best of the JR Motorsports bunch!

The final stage saw a car no one expected to win shine.

At the drop of the green flag, Sheldon Creed started 13th and earned no stage points in the opening stage. Strategy in stage two, Creed charged to 3rd. Out of pit road, Creed won the race off and never looked back.

Creed gapped Corey day by nearly three seconds and led the final 53 laps to pick up his second win of the 2026 season. He also won the first ever Chase Race in NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series history!

For Creed, the win puts him -7 points to Justin Allgaier, putting him a solid day away at World Wide Technology Raceway next weekend from potentially taking the points lead

OTHER NOTES:

After the race, William Sawalich did confront Corey Day, but no physical altercation occurred. Day did say that Sawalich did issue threats towards his Chase hopes, so the rivalry between the two drivers will be a story point the remainder of the season and into the future.

Despite the issue, Day finished 2nd, and leaves Darlington -46 points out of the points lead.

Sammy Smith ended up finishing as the best JRM driver as he scored a 4th place finish. For Smith, similar to Creed, it was a slow start and strategy in the second stage that gave him an opportunity to keep track position. Smith only gained on five points on Allgaier, but he leaves Darlington 7th in points -55 points off the lead.

Justin Allgaier faded miserably late finishing 17th, meanwhile Carson Kvapil faded to 12th. Both drivers were benefitted however from the tough finish due to them both earning strong stage points over the course of the race. A shocker as both were favorites for the championship.

Lastly, Brent Crews started in the back after qualifying 8th due to unapproved adjustments, but it was a valiant effort for the 18-year-old. Crews rounded out the podium with a 3rd place in his first go at arguably the hardest track in oval racing.

UP NEXT:

The NASCAR Cup Series main events the weekend as the series hosts its final Crown Jewel Race of the 2026 season, as Darlington Raceway hosts the Cook Out Southern 500. The race however, is going to be a mystery as due to lightning and rain, both practice and qualifying was rained out. Qualifying order was decided via the metric, and Tyler Reddick will start the race from pole. For Reddick, the pole is huge as he dominated the race in the springtime and is optimistic he will do so again tomorrow.

Coverage of the race can be found on USA and MRN as green flag is slated for 5:00 P.M. ET. Motorsports Today will have coverage at the track for the race, so follow along on our socals on X, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, and here at MotorsportsToday.net