Sheldon Creed grabs pole for Pennzoil 250 at Indy
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 25, 2026
Creed on pole
Sheldon Creed grabbed the pole for Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the top of the grid came together in a tight fight for speed. Creed turned a lap of 53.069 seconds to take the top spot. Carson Kvapil qualified second at 53.098 seconds and Sam Mayer was third at 53.177 seconds. That gave the front of the field a narrow spread and put Creed in prime position at a track where starting spot carries real weight. Chase Elliott lined up seventh and Ross Chastain was eighth, so JR Motorsports placed two cars inside the top eight. Justin Allgaier, the series leader and this year’s top seed after six victories, is scheduled to start 13th. The race is set for 1 p.m. Pacific and 4 p.m. Eastern on the CW Network. Creed’s pole gives him the first move on a day that should reward clean air and strong track position from the opening laps.
Indianapolis speed
Indianapolis Motor Speedway has leaned toward qualifying speed in recent years, and the numbers point straight to the front of the field. Eight of the last 10 winners at Indianapolis started in the top three. Four of the last 10 won from the pole. All 10 of the last 10 winners finished eighth or better. That record makes the starting order a major part of the story every time the series visits the track. It also makes Creed’s pole more than a single fast lap, because it places him in the group that has controlled this race before. Kvapil and Mayer will try to keep that front-running pace in reach, and Elliott and Chastain give JR Motorsports more speed near the front. Allgaier knows the track works both ways. He won at Indianapolis in 2018, but this time he rolls off 13th and has to work through traffic. He still brings the weight of the points lead and six wins, and that combination keeps him in the center of the discussion even from deeper in the lineup. JR Motorsports is also one top-10 finish away from extending its streak to 79 straight races, a mark that reflects how steady the organization has been through the season.
Playoff pressure
The playoff picture adds another layer to Saturday’s race. Drivers outside the top 12 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series have three races left to qualify for the postseason Chase, so the margin for error has shrunk fast. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Brent Crews and Taylor Gray hold 11th and 12th in the standings and sit on the cutoff line. Rajah Caruth is 13th and trails Gray by 17 points and Crews by 18. William Sawalich is 21 points behind the cutoff. Those gaps keep the pressure on every stage and every finish, because one good run can move a driver toward the field and one poor outing can leave little time to recover. Indianapolis gives those drivers a fast stage to answer. The track has a history of rewarding the cars that qualify up front and finish near the front, which raises the value of every spot Creed, Kvapil and Mayer earned in time trials. It also raises the stakes for the drivers trying to chase down the final playoff places. Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 offers them one more chance to gain ground before the final push to the postseason field.
