“Incredible.”

That was the word Sheldon Creed used to describe his first career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Anyone who watched Saturday night’s race at EchoPark Speedway would probably use the same word.

The Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 ended with chaos on the final lap. Five time Atlanta winner Austin Hill and full time NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain were battling for the lead when their Chevrolets made contact while running first and second. The bump sent both cars out of position and opened the door for Creed, who was running third and waiting for his chance.

Creed did not hesitate.

Driving the No. 00 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet, the 28 year old from California slipped through the incident coming off the final turn and raced to the checkered flag. After 15 career runner up finishes, which is a series record, Creed finally stood in Victory Lane as a winner.

“It worked out. Finally a winner,” Creed said with a smile after climbing from his car. He admitted that for a moment, it looked like another second place finish was coming. Instead, everything fell into place at the perfect time.

The race itself was packed with action from start to finish. There were 11 different leaders and a record 24 lead changes on the 1.5 mile high banks. Creed edged Parker Retzlaff by .309 seconds at the line. Nick Sanchez finished third, continuing his strong record at Atlanta. Corey Day came home fourth, and Jesse Love rounded out the top five.

Chastain was able to recover from the late race contact and finished sixth. After watching a replay, he said there was no intention to spin Hill. He admitted he did not execute the move well but insisted he was racing for the win, not trying to crash anyone.

Hill, who has won this race the past two years, had a tough ending at his home track. He started 20th in the 38 car field but worked his way forward and led a race high 34 of the 163 laps. He first grabbed the lead on lap 105 and looked strong in the closing laps. After the contact, he fell back to finish 12th.

Hill said he knew he would have to block Chastain coming off Turn Two but felt Chastain drove into his left rear. Still, he admitted that both drivers were going for the win and that aggressive racing is part of the sport.

Creed’s victory was emotional for many reasons. He is already a champion, having won the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title. But in this series, wins had slipped through his fingers time and time again. Even with all those runner up finishes, he had not been able to close the deal.

“It just wears on you to not win,” Creed said. He called the victory a mix of relief and happiness. He also made it clear he does not want to stop at one. He hopes more wins could even put him back in the conversation for a Cup Series ride.

Despite his 12th place finish, Hill still leads the championship standings by 22 points over Rajah Caruth. The season remains wide open.

Next, the series heads to Austin, Texas for the Focused Health 250 at the Circuit of the Americas. It will be the first road course race of the season and another chance for drivers to make a statement.

But at Atlanta, the spotlight belongs to Creed. After years of close calls and near misses, he finally had his incredible moment.