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Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill's battle at the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville last Saturday has been the talk of the town of late.
The final Round of 8 race at the 0.5-mile-long short track nicknamed "The Paper Clip" saw both drivers race aggressively. Ultimately, neither managed to qualify for the Championship 4 next Sunday.
The final laps of the Dead On Tools 200 saw Sheldon Creed bump Austin Hill in a bid to solidify his bid into the next round. However, the ensuing battle between Creed and Hill, who also went on to door the former around the same time, allowed JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier to take the lead.
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As a result, both Richard Childress Racing drivers failed to qualify; Hill crashed on the final lap and Creed finished in P2. The #2 Chevrolet Camaro driver was subject to unusually public displays of criticism by his team, especially team owner Richard Childress and team president Andy Petree.
Petree was also seen shouting something at Creed as he got out of his car, to which he got a stern reply.
Sheldon Creed later recapped the conversation with his team president in an interview with Dustin Albino. He indicated that his team showed favoritism towards his teammate and said:
"He was just mad at how I raced the #21 (Austin Hill) but, roles reversed, they don't say anything. Probably the reason that I'm leaving, obviously they're going to be mad, but I felt like I got him up above the bottom and I gave him a chance to finish second or third."
It remains to be seen how the relationship between the two drivers evolves over their careers in the sport.
"I didn't spin him out" - Sheldon Creed elaborates on how he allowed Austin Hill to finish in P2 despite bumping him out of the way
Sheldon Creed also claimed he allowed Austin Hill to finish second despite bumping him out of his way last Saturday. He drew comparisons from last year, when Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs bumped and spun teammate Brandon Jones at Martinsville Speedway for the win.
Creed said in an interview with Bob Pockrass:
"I pushed him up off the bottom but I didn't dirty him up, I didn't spin him out and I gave him a chance to finish second. Had I gone in there and wrecked him like Ty (Gibbs) did to Brandon (Jones) last year, different story."
The NASCAR Xfinity Series crowns a 2023 champion next weekend at the title decider at Phoenix Raceway.
