Rookie Sheldon Creed finishes among veterans
Sheldon Creed, driver of the No. 2 A.M. Ortega/RTL Chevrolet GMS Racing, placed second with a time of 176.876 mph and 31.344 seconds behind Stewart Friesen with a speed of 177.204 and a time of 31.286 seconds. Creed is racing for the first time at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
February 22, 2019
Stewart Friesen, driver of the No. 52 Halmar International Chevrolet for Halmar Friesen Racing, topped the speed charts of Friday’s first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He ran a fast lap of 31.286 seconds at 177.204 mph.
Crew members work on Austin Hill’s truck during the first NGOTS practice. “I went to grab fourth gear and fourth gear wasn’t there,” Hill, driver of the No. 16 United Rentals Toyota for Hattori Racing Enterprises, said. “The guys are working really hard. We thought we might get out there for a few laps at the end, but it just took too long.”
“This is more like what we’re gonna race in, so we’re trying to get our truck set for tomorrow,” Sheldon Creed, driver of the No. 2 A.M. Ortega/RTL Chevrolet for GMS racing, said. “I’m trying to get used to the track, because I’ve never been here before.“
Creed, in his first time racing at Atlanta, finished .058 seconds behind Friesen with a speed of 176.876 mph. Placing third was Matt Crafton, driver of No. 88 Rip It and Menards Ford for ThorSport Racing, with a speed of 176.280 mph and a time of 31.450 seconds. Last year’s race winner Brett Moffitt, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet for GMS racing placed fourth with a time of 175.860 and a time of 31.450 seconds. Rounding off the top five was Johnny Sauter, driver of No. 13 Tenda Heal Ford for ThorSport Racing, with a speed of 175.862 mph and a time of 31.557 seconds.
“[We] just have to do what we did a few years ago when we won here,” Crafton said. “Last year it was close and we’re gonna see what we can do better to get a win tomorrow.”
For the best ten consecutive lap average, Ben Rhodes, driver of the No. 99 Carolina Nut Ford for ThorSport Racing, placed first with an average speed of 169.409 mph. Grant Enfinger, driver of the No. 98 for Champion Power Equipment Ford for ThorSport Racing, placed second with 167.939 mph. Lastly, rookie Harrison Burton, driver of No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports, placed third with an average of 167.491 mph.
“We got a pretty good base to work off of in the first practice,” Creed said. “Second practice we’re gonna work on the bumps a little more. I think [the cooler weather] is gonna make the track a little faster.”
Georgia native Korbin Forrister, driver of the No. 7 Toyota for All Out Motorsports, placed 27th on the speed chart, maxing out at 166.521 mph and 33.293 seconds. Fellow Georgia driver Austin Hill, pilot of the No. 16 United Rentals Toyota for Hattori Racing Enterprises, was unable to complete an entire lap in the first practice after his drive train broke pulling onto the track.
“We’re gonna have to make quick work in the second practice,” Hill said. “I think we’ll be alright. It’ll be good to get some laps and see what we really got.”
NGOTS second practice is set to start at 4:05 p.m. this afternoon.
