NASCAR penalty: Sheldon Creed docked 25 points and fined $25,000 for intentionally colliding with Sammy Smith in Nashville

NASCAR Xfinity Series regular for Richard Childress Racing, Sheldon Creed's race at Nashville Superspeedway last week has not produced the ideal results for the 25-year-old. The governing body has decided to penalize the #2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro driver for intentionally wrecking another driver during the Tennessee Lottery 250.

Lap 69 of the 250-mile-long race in Music City saw the Alpine, California native make contact with Sammy Smith, which spun both drivers around. Brandon Jones also became involved in the incident as he could not manage to avoid the two cars on the track. While Sheldon Creed managed to continue, Smith retired out of the event.

After a review of the incident by NASCAR officials via the team's radio communications with Creed, it has been deemed that the 25-year-old intentionally drove into Smith's left-rear quarter panel. The governing body specified the sections of the Member Code of Conduct that were violated by Creed, which are:

• Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or championship.
• Wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result.

The resulting penalties levied on the #2 crew and driver at Richard Childress Racing include a reduction of 25 regular season points along with a $25,000 fine. The penalty comes as a precedent after NASCAR has proven it will not shy away from penalizing and/or suspending drivers for misconduct on the racetrack.

Cup Series drivers such as Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott are witnesses of the same.

Upcoming NASCAR Chicago City Street Race excites former driver Carl Edwards

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver and one of the most popular faces to have come out of the sport, Carl Edwards is one person on board with the idea of the Grant Park 220. When asked about what he thinks of the new event added to the Cup Series calendar in 2023, he said:

"It’s going to be insane. I think it’s brilliant. I think what NASCAR’s doing, going into new places, specifically a street course in Chicago, that’s crazy. I think people are going to love it. I know a lot of people in Chicago aren’t excited about it. I’ve seen some of that news. That’s fine. You got to give them something to complain about."

The Grant Park 220 goes live on Sunday, July 2, 2023, at 5:30 pm ET on NBC Sports, Peacock and the MRN networks.