Joe Gibbs Racing announced on Monday that it has signed 17-year-old Brent Crews to pilot its No. 19 NASCAR O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Series Toyota during the 2026 season.

With Crews set to turn 18 on March 30, he won’t be eligible to compete in any NASCAR national series on tracks longer than 1.25 miles in length before then, meaning he’ll be unavailable for the season opener at Daytona, as well as EchoPark Speedway, Circuit of The Americas, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

As such, Crews’ debut will come at Phoenix Raceway in the third race of the season for the GOVX 200. Once he turns 18, the Toyota Development Driver will no longer be limited in where he can compete in NASCAR.

Thankfully for Crews, should he end up pushing for a title, his missed races may not be an issue with Bob Pockrass claiming he expects NASCAR to grant him a waiver, meaning he may yet remain Playoff eligible.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to race with a winning organization and Toyota,” the six-time ARCA Menards Series race winner said. “I’ve learned a lot so far with the ARCA program and at the track with the No.19 team. I have a lot to prepare for this season, but I feel confident with all the resources that JGR and Toyota provide to help with an easy transition.”

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A three-time race winner in the CARS Late Model Tour, Crews heads to JGR with experience in NASCAR’s top three series, having raced on 10 occasions in the Craftsman Truck Series over the last two seasons, even finishing second at Charlotte’s Roval for Tricon Garage and fourth at Martinsville Speedway in 2025.

Crews even competed at Watkins Glen in a one-off race with his own team, Brent Crews Motorsports, finishing 17th after qualifying 19th.

In a statement, JGR’s Executive Vice President of O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Development, Steve de Souza, said, “We are excited to have Brent continue his racing career with us this upcoming season.

“He showed a lot of success in our equipment throughout the 2025 ARCA season, and we are confident that he will continue to be a top contender in the O’Reilly Series.”

The news of Crews’ signing went down extremely well with longtime NASCAR star Corey LaJoie, who simply commented “Dawg” on the social media post.

Seth Chavka has already been named Crews’ crew chief, having helped Aric Almirola reach victory lane three times on a part-time basis in 2025, while also working with Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, Ty Gibbs, Justin Bonsignore, and Jack Perkins. Chavka also briefly served as Kyle Busch’s crew chief in 2022 for three races.

Exactly who Crews will be racing alongside, besides Brandon Jones in the No. 20 after he signed a multi-year deal in 2024, remains to be seen, with William Sawalich having driven the No. 18 last season.