TORRANCE, Calif. – Saturday night, when the Lucas Oil POWRi California Lightning Sprint Series visits Barona Speedway for the third race of the season, it will have an extra driver on the roster.
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series regular Sheldon Creed, who grew up in nearby El Cajon, Calif., will be driving a car owned by Sexton/Gatlin Racing.
Creed, 21, was the ARCAÂ Menards Series champion last year and is now a regular in the Truck Series driving for GMS Racing.
In the first five races of the Truck Series season, Creed has a season-best finish of sixth at Las Vegas on March 1. He ran 22nd at Texas Motor Speedway last time out.
In addition to Creed’s ARCA title, he is an X-Games Gold Medalist in Stadium Trucks, a two-time Stadium Super Truck champion and has won five off-road championships. In addition, he is one of only three drivers to have won two Lucas Oil Off-Road titles simultaneously.
Creed will be driving one of four cars entered by Sexton/Gatlin Racing. He will be teammates with Brent Sexton and his two teenage sons, Grant and Dalton.
Brent, a Tennessee native, is a two-time CLS champion and 14-year-old Grant was the rookie of the year last season. Dalton, 16, sits the highest of the three Sextons in the current series point standings. Going into Saturday’s race at Barona, he is 11th.
A past competitor in the series, Creed will be entering a hornet’s nest, as this year’s CLS roster is the most talent-laden the club has seen in its 26-year history.
On top of the heap is defending series champion Jarrett Kramer of Spring Valley. The soon to be 37-year-old leads the championship standings and is coming off a thrilling photo finish victory two weeks ago at Ventura Raceway.
Kramer brings a 21-point lead into the race over Lakewood’s Eric Greco. San Diego’s A.J. Bender, who was looking for a ride for Saturday at press time, is third in the standings and sits just two points out of second.
Five-time series champion Bobby Michnowicz of Lomita and his nephew, Cody Nigh of Camarillo, round out the top five in the standings.
After an absence of a decade, the CLS returned to Barona last year with three races. Nigh, Michnowicz and teenager Dominic Del Monte took wins at those events.
In addition to the CLS, the IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pony Stocks, Pure Stocks, Nomad Dwarfs, 360 Sprint Cars, So Cal Mowers, Mini Dwarfs and Junior Sprints will also be in action on Saturday.