Hampton, Ga. (Feb. 21, 2026) – Sheldon Creed’s long-awaited breakthrough arrived Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway in the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250, and it came in unforgettable fashion.
In a race defined by early incidents, multi-car crashes and a controversial final lap, Creed emerged from the chaos to capture his first career NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory, slipping through a late tangle between Ross Chastain and Austin Hill to secure the win.
The race started immediately with fireworks. Just five laps into the 163 lap event, Georgia native Ryan Sieg was turned into the frontstretch wall following contact from Corey Day, triggering a multi-car incident that also collected Harrison Burton, Blaine Perkins and others.
After the early caution, Stage 1 settled into a more measured pace. Polesitter Sam Mayer suffered a tire failure that trapped him off of the lead lap, but the remainder of the stage ran clean. Jesse Love claimed the Stage 1 victory, followed by Rajah Caruth and Parker Retzlaff.
Stage 2 belonged to Caruth. The rookie methodically sliced his way through the field making bold and calculated moves through traffic, ultimately securing his first career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series stage win.
The race’s storyline shifted again when the fourth caution flew following an aggressive move for the lead. Corey Day dove into Turn 3 attempting to clear Carson Kvapil, but slid up the track and made contact, collecting Kvapil and Justin Allgaier. All three cars suffered blown tires, and both Kvapil and Allgaier were forced to retire due to the damage.
“Got caught up in something that wasn’t our own doing,” Allgaier said. “I hate that the two of us at JRM are out of this race, because I think we had the cars that could not only control the race, but be up front and hopefully go to victory lane.”
With 141 laps complete, a larger incident completely shook up the running order. Sammy Smith broke loose entering Turn 1, triggering a chain reaction that involved more than 10 cars, including William Sawalich, Gio Ruggiero and Lavar Scott. The race turned into a battle of survival as several competitive drivers were eliminated.
That set up a six-lap sprint to the finish.
Hill, Chastain and Creed cycled to the front and traded the lead in the closing laps. Hill appeared poised to secure the victory as he led down the backstretch on the final lap, with Chastain building momentum behind him.
Entering Turn 3, Chastain made a move to the inside. In attempting to block, contact was made with Hill’s rear bumper, sending Hill spinning from the lead. As the front-runners lost momentum, Creed navigated through the smoke and was the first to cross the line. After multiple near-wins in previous seasons, Creed capitalized on the opportunity and delivered a milestone victory in one of the most dramatic races EchoPark Speedway has seen.
“It looked like another second or third place run there coming out of Turn 2 there,” Sheldon Creed told the media postrace. “It wears on you to not win, and it takes a lot of people to do it. I don’t think one win is going to change a whole lot, but a couple might. I need to win more if I want a future here.
“I’ve thought every year, ‘am I just not good enough?’ The confidence got killed the last four years.” Creed continued. “Just had to believe I can do it again.”
While Creed celebrated his breakthrough, Chastain and Hill were left to digest where their chances of victory were dashed.
“No excuses, I turned him for sure,” Chastain said afterward. “I hate that I did that to another Chevy. I’m not trying to spin these guys or crash coming to the checkered, but I did not execute it very well.”
Hill saved his car from hitting the wall, or sliding up the track and hitting others. He recovered to finish 12th.
“When Ross is behind you, you know he’s going to be aggressive,” Hill said. “The save was huge. It could have been a lot worse, but we were able to salvage something out of it.”
Parker Retzlaff finished a strong second place in the No. 99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet, and it wasn’t due to circumstance. After running near the front throughout the race and avoiding the late trouble, Retzlaff earned his best career finish. Nick Sanchez, winner of the series’ previous visit to EchoPark Speedway, completed the podium with a third-place result in the No. 25 AM Racing Ford.
Day rebounded from earlier incidents to finish fourth in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, while Love rounded out the top five in the Richard Childress Racing No. 2.
Austin Hill is the current NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series points leader, with 22 points over Rajah Caruth.
Saturday night’s race added another memorable chapter to EchoPark Speedway’s history, delivering high-intensity competition from start to finish. If the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series set the tone, fans can expect more excitement when the Autotrader 400 takes the green flag Sunday.
Tickets for Sunday’s Autotrader 400 are available at EchoParkSpeedway.com.
Full results of the Bennett 250:
- Sheldon Creed
- Parker Retzlaff
- Nick Sanchez
- Corey Day
- Jesse Love
- Ross Chastain
- Sam Mayer
- Rajah Caruth
- Taylor Gray
- Brandon Jones
- Dean Thompson
- Austin Hill
- Patrick Staropoli
- Garrett Smithley
- Josh Bilicki
- Jeb Burton
- Chad Finchum
- Nick Leitz
- Brennan Poole
- Luke Fenhaus
- Austin Green
- Ryan Ellis
- William Sawalich
- Giovanni Ruggiero
- Anthony Alfredo
- Mason Maggio
- Josh Williams
- Lavar Scott
- Jeremy Clements
- Sammy Smith
- Cody Ware
- Carson Kvapil
- Justin Allgaier
- Joey Gase
- Harrison Burton
- Blaine Perkins
- Ryan Sieg
- Kyle Sieg
About the Autotrader 400 weekend:
Atlanta’s spring NASCAR weekend is headlined by the Autotrader 400 on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, with intense superspeedway pack racing that challenges NASCAR’s best and dazzles fans.
More information on the Autotrader 400 weekend and ticket availability can be found online at EchoParkSpeedway.com.
About EchoPark Speedway:
EchoPark Speedway is a premier entertainment venue located about 30 miles south of Atlanta, Ga. Since 1960, EchoPark Speedway has been a staple of the NASCAR calendar and currently hosts two weekends of racing in the spring and fall each year. When NASCAR isn’t in town, EchoPark Speedway’s versatile facility hosts an assortment of events that attract visitors from near and far, from Monster Jam to the Georgia State Fair and everything in between.
For more information on EchoPark Speedway and to see upcoming events at the facility, visit EchoParkSpeedway.com.
