Brent Crews, a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, is set to make his NASCAR O’Reilly Parts Series debut this weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. This milestone marks a significant step in Crews’ racing career as he joins the competition behind the wheel of the No. 19 Young Life Toyota GR Supra.
Crews expressed deep gratitude and excitement about the opportunity, reflecting on the journey that led him to this pivotal moment, backed by a strong partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.
The Journey That Led Crews to NASCAR
Beginning his development in motorsports at a young age, Crews shared how his pathway into racing was shaped by his family and his own competitive spirit. Initially drawn to playing soccer and football, Crews found his passion for racing through a chance encounter with the sport after his stepdad encouraged him to try go-karting.
“Thank you guys for having me. It’s exciting, it’s something I’ve dreamed about my whole life ever since I’ve started racing. I’m just grateful and blessed to be here. God has worked in so many amazing ways in my life to be in this position. I’m excited to represent Young Life and tell that story further down the road this weekend. Excited to be racing with Joe Gibbs Racing. I got to race with them last year in the ARCA races and we had a lot of success there. Just kind of feeling full circle and real now. Just starting to sink in today honestly, because we had a lot of preparation with SIM. I think we had close to seven hours of SIM this week, which is amazing to be able to work with my team and having them right there. If felt as close to real life as you can get. Finally feeling surreal today, and I’m just ready to get going.”
– Brent Crews, Joe Gibbs Racing Driver
Crews recounted how his early days at the go-kart track were filled with trial and error, including a six-month break after initially struggling to understand the basics. However, a winter snow day in North Carolina reignited his passion when he tried drifting and making donuts. This new experience led to regular visits to the kart track, eventually meeting Joe Gibbs Racing head coach and owner, Joe Gibbs, as well as Ty Gibbs, a fellow racer.
“I grew up playing soccer and football just as a regular normal kid, and I just hated losing, and would get so upset when my teammates didn’t care about winning or anything along those lines. And my stepdad Matt, who I call Dad still to this day, he was like, do you want to go play a sport where it’s just you versus everyone else? At the time, I was a four or five year old kid and he was like, sure. So, he took me to the go kart track and I actually hated it. The first time I was at the track I was going to the Motorplex, I ran 22 laps. I didn’t know how to pull off the track and I stopped on the front stretch and got out and I quit for six months. And that was kind of where it all started. It started snowing in North Carolina one winter and he asked if I wanted to go do some donuts, and I said sure. I fell in love with it ever since. He asked if I wanted to go to the go kart track again and I went and I didn’t know how to pull in the pits, but it was so much fun. So we started racing. I started racing more go kart races and I think a year goes by and we found ourselves at the go kart track three to four days a week during the week and after school. And we met Coach (Gibbs) at the go kart track. Ty (Gibbs) was always out there with Coach Gibbs and I was always out there turning laps and my Dad was just watching right by the bleachers and Coach was watching there too. Coach said to my Dad, ‘I see you are out here every week, do you guys know anything about dirt racing, have you been to Millbridge Speedway?’ My Dad was like, ‘I have no idea, I’ve never hear of that. And Coach was like, you should come out tomorrow night, Ty’s racing’. So my Dad took me out there and I thought dirt racing was super exciting and a lot of fun. He got me a little box stock, I would have been seven or eight years old at the time. We started running practice laps there and started racing it and I fell in love with dirt racing too. I don’t like one more than I like the other, they have pros and cons. They’re both super exciting, but that was the first time we ever met Coach. And a little rewind to that too, was kind of how I fell in love with racing, I was a big Julio Jones fan. I love the number 11. The first go kart race I ever went to, Denny Hamlin was on the pole and he was number 11 and I was like, that’s my guy. And I always rooted for Denny growing up. Still do, just because of the number 11. It was just a full circle moment, getting to meet Coach and rooting for Denny, having no idea the race team had anything to do with it and now I’m here racing for Joe Gibbs Racing.”
– Brent Crews, Joe Gibbs Racing Driver
Early Influences: Football and Favorite Players
Brent Crews described his early sports fandom, which included following the Atlanta Falcons and their star wide receiver Julio Jones, who inspired him through his skill and jersey number.
“That’s a great question. I was an Atlanta Falcons fan for no reason. I grew up in Hickory, North Carolina and I was just a huge football fan in general, I didn’t have a specific team. I just cared about the players, and Julio was always the most exciting to watch as a kid. He was big, tall, fast and explosive. I just rooted for him. And then he was number 11, so I loved the number 11 because of him. I had a big poster of him in my room, and I just fell in love with the Falcons and that number and everything about that.”
– Brent Crews, Joe Gibbs Racing Driver
Intensive Preparation and Simulation Training for the NASCAR Debut
In anticipation of racing at COTA, Crews underwent extensive training through advanced simulation programs, which closely mimic real-life racing conditions. He worked with the ARCA team to sharpen his skills, practicing for hours in a simulator located at GT-12 in Salisbury, North Carolina. This preparation helped him transition smoothly into the dynamics of the NASCAR O’Reilly Parts Series vehicle, which differs from newer Cup cars in handling characteristics.
“So our SIM is really, really close at GT-12 in Salisbury. Working with the ARCA team with that, I felt like we got it to where I would go run four or five hours of SIM during the week and I would get to the racetrack and it was really, really close. My respect for the all the people that work on the SIM stuff, on that side of things is at a very high level and I trust it completely. I feel like when I go in there and I slide around in the SIM, I feel like it’s really close to real life. We did a lot of SIM for Rockingham too, preparing for my first test. We had that test a couple of weeks ago, and I felt like the SIM correlated really close. That’s kind of my thought process there. The O’Reilly car slides a lot more than we see on Sunday’s with the new Cup cars. But I feel like it’s similar to ARCA on that side of the spectrum.”
– Brent Crews, Joe Gibbs Racing Driver
Significance of Crews’ Debut and Future Prospects
Brent Crews’ upcoming debut at the Circuit of the Americas represents the next important step in his motorsports career, illustrating his progression through developmental racing tiers and his strong affiliation with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. His preparations through both real track practice and simulation demonstrate his commitment to adapting quickly and performing competitively in the O’Reilly Parts Series.
This debut not only highlights his personal growth but could also influence future opportunities within NASCAR, especially with a respected racing organization backing him. As Crews embarks on this new chapter, his journey reflects both the challenges and rewards of climbing the racing ranks, showing promise for fans and sponsors alike.
