Brent Crews — The Charlotte Mercury

Brent Crews — Driver Profile

2026 Season

Brent Crews is 18 years old and driving the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 — a combination that makes him one of the most closely watched developmental prospects in NASCAR. The Davidson, NC native ran a restricted schedule early in the season due to age-based eligibility rules on larger ovals; he has been racing full-time since March 30. Through 8 starts he has four consecutive top-five finishes and six top-tens. The Texas Motor Speedway result on May 2 — a fourth-place finish in the Andy's Frozen Custard 340 — earned him the year's final $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus, his first career D4C payout. His career first top-five came at Bristol on April 11, when he drove from 17th to a third-place finish behind Connor Zilisch and Kyle Larson. His earlier best was a sixth at COTA.

2026 Stats (through 12 races, 8 starts): 4 consecutive top 5s | 6 top 10s | $100K Dash 4 Cash bonus (Texas, May 2)

Career

Crews is the youngest full-time driver on the 2026 O'Reilly Series grid and one of the youngest ever to run a JGR national-series program. He arrived at the national level with strong grassroots credentials and the full support of one of NASCAR's premier organizations. His age-based restrictions in early 2026 only applied to specific tracks; once those lifted, he transitioned to a complete full-time schedule.

The Story

The story with Crews in 2026 is patience and potential in equal measure. The eligibility restrictions compressed his early-season schedule, but the flash of pace at COTA — a sixth-place finish from a sixth-place qualifying spot — confirmed that the underlying talent is real. For an 18-year-old in a JGR car, the expectation isn't championship contention; it's learning the series fast enough to become dangerous by 2027.

Related Pages

Recent Coverage

Roles

Alumni — Lee Faulk Racing
Driver — Joe Gibbs Racing

Coverage (4 articles)

Austin Hill Can Break Kevin Harvick's Atlanta Record in His Home State on Saturday

Jack Beckett·July 10, 2026

Austin Hill has five wins at Atlanta, tied with Kevin Harvick for the most in NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series history. On Saturday, in his home state, he can break the tie. Justin Allgaier's 195-point lead looks safe, but his form has quietly cooled over the last month.

Brandon Jones Started 29th and Led 12 Laps at Chicagoland. He Also Won.

Jack Beckett·July 6, 2026

Brandon Jones started 29th at Chicagoland, led 12 of 201 laps, and won the Cuervo 300 in overtime, the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series' first extra-lap finish of 2026. Chase Elliott and Connor Zilisch led 126 laps and won both stages between them. They left with zero points.

Austin Hill Survives a Wreck-Strewn San Diego Street Race for His 16th O'Reilly Series Win

Jack Beckett·June 22, 2026

Austin Hill won the inaugural O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at San Diego's Naval Base Coronado, surviving a 25-car wreck and a run of engine failures for the 16th series victory of his career. Justin Allgaier still leads the championship comfortably.

Justin Allgaier and JR Motorsports Take Their Dominance to a San Diego Street Course Nobody Has Run

John Speedway·June 19, 2026

Justin Allgaier has already clinched the Chase, JR Motorsports has won 11 road races in a row, and the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series has never been more lopsided. This weekend it races a San Diego street course nobody has ever lapped, where all that homework counts for nothing. Saturday, 5 p.m. ET on the CW.

2026 Season — NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series