Sheldon Creed, Robby Gordon win in SST’s Mid-Ohio Xfinity weekend
The SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks returned to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the first time since 2019 with a pair of races on Saturday to support the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Sheldon Creed made it three victories in a row by claiming Race #1 but retired from the second event as Robby Gordon won instead, while Matt Brabham won the overall weekend with a pair of podiums.
Brabham was the fastest qualifier on Friday and started the first race at the back while Max Gordon was on pole. In what is basically business as usual for the series, Creed and Brabham quickly weaved their ways through the field. Creed raced at Mid-Ohio in the Xfinity Series in 2017 (his maiden start in that series) but had never done so in a stadium truck, yet it did not take long for him to reach the front with Brabham giving chase. By the end, he had scored his thirty-ninth career victory and third consecutive win after sweeping the season opener at St. Petersburg in April; Creed also accomplished the last three-peat in 2017 by winning Race #3 at Perth followed the first two rounds at Detroit.
After the Xfinity Series’ B&L Transport 170, SST Race #2 kicked off with the younger Gordon once again on pole. Robert Stout led the opening lap before Creed took the lead. Although Creed was an easy betting favourite to sweep the weekend for the second time in as many tries in 2021, his race ended in disaster when a transmission issue caused him to fall off pace in lap three before retiring. Consequently, he became the sixth instance of a driver winning a race yet finishing last in another in the same weekend; he previously “achieved” the feat in the 2015 season finale at Las Vegas.
Stout inherited the lead as Creed exited the race. At the competition caution, Stout led Brabham, Max and Robby Gordon, Aaron Bambach, and Greg Biffle; Bambach and Biffle were running their first SST races since 2018 and 2019, respectively. Brabham passed Stout for first on the first lap since the restart, while the younger Gordon fell back to his father and Biffle the following lap. Gordon became the new leader shortly before the second competition caution with Stout in tow. As Gordon continued to lead, the Biffle/Brabham tandem knocked Stout off the podium. Biffle stayed on Gordon’s bumper throughout the final lap but could not overtake him as Gordon secured his twenty-sixth career SST win and second at Mid-Ohio.
Biffle settled for second to notch his third runner-up finish and fourth podium. The NASCAR veteran has stood on a podium in every American race weekend in his SST career (he came close in his lone Australian weekend to date at Gold Coast in 2019 when he finished fourth in Race #1).
“You don’t know how bad I wanted to move (Gordon) out of the way, but I figured he owns the series, I better be careful,” Biffle remarked in a Facebook Live video.
Brabham placed third and clinched the overall victory with his two podiums. Gordon and Biffle joined him on the weekend podium.
“Great weekend here in Mid Ohio, came away with the overall weekend win on points,” Brabham wrote in an Instagram post. “$11,000 dollars of prize money, and a good portion of that going to @getheadstrong (Headstrong Project) to help military veterans thanks to @carlislecompaniesinc (Carlisle Companies)!”
“Fun couple days at mid Ohio to run @stadiumsupertrucks with @nascarxfinityseries,” Creed began on Instagram. “[W]on the first Moto today and got to the lead early in the second and the transmission started slipping so didn’t end up finishing, congrats @mattybrabs on the overall win! Thank you @continental_tire and @stadiumsupertrucks for letting me come play!”
SST will return to Mid-Ohio on 4th of July weekend as an undercard for the NTT IndyCar Series.
Race #1 results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Status |
| 1 | 6 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Running |
| 2 | 7 | 83 | Matt Braham | Running |
| 3 | 5 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Running |
| 4 | 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Running |
| 5 | 4 | 28 | Robert Stout | Running |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | Aaron Bambach | Running |
| 7 | 1 | 77 | Max Gordon | Running |
Race #2 results
| Finish | Start | Number | Driver | Status |
| 1 | 5 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Running |
| 2 | 4 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Running |
| 3 | 6 | 83 | Matt Brabham | Running |
| 4 | 3 | 28 | Robert Stout | Running |
| 5 | 1 | 77 | Max Gordon | Running |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | Aaron Bambach | Running |
| 7 | 7 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | Transmission |