Sheldon Creed wins first O’Reilly pole of 2026 at Indianapolis

Sheldon Creed qualified on the pole position for the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) on Saturday, July 25.

The event’s starting lineup was determined through an on-track qualifying session that consisted of a single-car, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the 38 competitors vying for 38 starting spots cycled around IMS once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posted the single fastest lap was awarded the pole position.

During the session, Creed, who was the 14th-fastest competitor during Friday’s practice session and was the 20th of 38 competitors to qualify, utilized his one-lap qualifying trial to post a lap at 169.591 mph in 53.069 seconds. The lap was enough for Creed to retain the top-starting spot for Saturday afternoon’s main event at IMS. 

With the pole, Creed notched his fifth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career pole position, his first at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his first since EchoPark Speedway in July 2025. The Alpine, California, native also recorded the second consecutive O’Reilly pole for Haas Factory Team at Indianapolis. Creed’s best result at Indianapolis is fifth place from the 2024 season as he strives to finish four places higher and contend for his second victory of the 2026 O’Reilly campaign.

Creed will share the front row with Carson Kvapil, the latter of whom posted his fastest qualifying lap at 169.498 mph in 53.098 seconds and is coming off a runner-up result at EchoPark Speedway. Sam Mayer, Jeremy Clements and Taylor Gray will start in the top-five. Brandon Jones, Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, William Sawalich and Sammy Smith completed the top-10 starting grid, respectively. Notably, Justin Allgaier, the points leader and winner of the recent O’Reilly event at EchoPark Speedway, will start in 13th place.

With 38 competitors vying for 38 starting spots, all made the main event.

Indianapolis – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:

1. Sheldon Creed, 169.591 mph, 53.069 seconds
2. Carson Kvapil, 169.498 mph, 53.098 seconds
3. Sam Mayer, 169.246 mph, 53.177 seconds
4. Jeremy Clements, 168.789 mph, 53.321 seconds
5. Taylor Gray, 168.700 mph, 53.349 seconds
6. Brandon Jones, 168.618 mph, 53.375 seconds
7. Chase Elliott, 168.508 mph, 53.410 seconds
8. Ross Chastain, 168.464 mph, 53.424 seconds
9. William Sawalich, 168.448 mph, 53.429 seconds
10. Sammy Smith, 168.231 mph, 53.498 seconds
11. Corey Day, 168.205 mph, 53.506 seconds
12. Jeb Burton, 168.196 mph, 53.509 seconds
13. Justin Allgaier, 168.190 mph, 53.511 seconds
14. Ryan Sieg, 168.139 mph, 53.527 seconds
15. Brent Crews, 168.070 mph, 53.549 seconds
16. Rajah Caruth, 167.716 mph, 53.662 seconds
17. Parker Retzlaff, 167.657 mph, 53.681 seconds
18. Patrick Staropoli, 167.227 mph, 53.819 seconds
19. Austin Hill, 167.128 mph, 53.851 seconds
20. Anthony Alfredo, 167.100 mph, 53.860 seconds
21. Mason Maggio, 167.050 mph, 53.876 seconds
22. Kyle Sieg, 166.657 mph, 54.003 seconds
23. Nick Sanchez, 166.599 mph, 54.022 seconds
24. Harrison Burton, 166.442 mph, 54.073 seconds
25. Dean Thompson, 166.408 mph, 54.084 seconds
26. Jesse Love, 166.276 mph, 54.127 seconds
27. Blaine Perkins, 166.184 mph, 54.157 seconds
28. Brennan Poole, 165.758 mph, 54.296 seconds
29. Preston pardus, 165.578 mph, 54.355 seconds
30. Garrett Smithley, 165.229 mph, 54/470 seconds
31. Lavar Scott, 165.062 mph, 54.525 seconds
32. Josh Bilicki, 164.396 mph, 54.746 seconds
33. Ryan Ellis, Owner Points
34. JJ Yeley, Owner Points
35. Joey Gase, Owner Points
36. Nathan Byrd, Owner Points
37. Blake Lothian, Owner Points
38. David Starr, Owner Points

The 2026 Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 25, at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, and SiriusXM.