Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer To Race Fulltime in NASCAR Xfinity Series With Haas
BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 17, 2024) – Haas Factory Team has signed drivers Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer to pilot its two NASCAR Xfinity Series entries beginning in 2025, with both racers joining the company under multiyear agreements.
Creed will drive the No. 00 Ford Mustang Dark Horse and Mayer will drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
Haas Factory Team has elected to use the No. 41 in the Xfinity Series in place of the No. 98 that it is inheriting from Stewart-Haas Racing to better align with its overall program. Haas Factory Team announced in July that it will use the No. 41 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Cole Custer.
“We’ve developed a strong and consistent Xfinity Series program at Stewart-Haas that wins races and championships. In 2025, that program will operate as Haas Factory Team. The name is changing, but our commitment to winning remains the same,” said Joe Custer, president, Haas Factory Team.
“Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer have won championships on their way to the Xfinity Series and they’re both hungry to win races and compete for an Xfinity Series title. They bring significant experience and a shared desire to win. Having them a part of Haas Factory Team allows us to operate at a high level and collect trophies.”
Creed is the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. The 26-year-old from Alpine, California, in an eight-time race winner in the Truck Series who has been competing fulltime in the Xfinity Series since 2022. While still seeking his first Xfinity Series victory, Creed has earned 10 second-place finishes, the most recent of which came June 22 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. He qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs last year and finished seventh in the championship.
“I’ve won in every division I’ve raced in and I feel like I’ve earned my place in the Xfinity Series, but that’s not enough. I want to win in the Xfinity Series,” said Creed, who currently drives for Joe Gibbs Racing. “I watched what Cole Custer did last year on his way to the Xfinity Series championship and when I talked with him about the setup of the organization, everything he said resonated with me. I feel like Haas Factory Team is a place where I can succeed, and where Sam and I can work together to win races and be championship contenders.”
The 21-year-old Mayer is a six-time Xfinity Series race winner who advanced to the Championship 4 in 2023. A native of Franklin, Wisconsin, Mayer scored back-to-back ARCA Menards Series East championships in 2019-2020 before joining the Xfinity Series in 2021 with an 18-race schedule for JR Motorsports (JRM). He has competed fulltime in the Xfinity Series for JRM since 2022.
“The Xfinity Series is a really great place to learn and grow and get yourself ready for the NASCAR Cup Series,” Mayer said. “Cup is my ultimate goal, and to really push myself to become the kind of driver who can succeed in Cup, I needed to get out of my comfort zone, challenge myself, and hone my race skills so that when that Cup moment comes, I’m ready. The Haas team got Cole Custer ready for his moment and it’s a place that will help get me and Sheldon ready for our moments.”
Thirteen races remains for both Mayer and Creed in 2024 and each have their eyes set on the NASCAR Playoffs. Mayer is already locked into the 12-driver, seven-race title chase via his two victories this year – April 13 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and June 15 at Iowa Speedway in Newton. Creed has a 69-point cushion over the top-12 cutoff with six regular-season races still remaining before the playoffs begin Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
