Is Toyota Already Planning 18-Year-Old Star’s Pathway to the Cup Series in 2026?
Brent Crews has been one of the best young stars in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season so far. The 18-year-old, despite being a part-time driver, has put himself in the Chase. He has seven top fives in 15 starts and won the pole at the San Diego street course. The North Carolina native also served as Christopher Bell’s reserve driver at San Diego, where he turned a few laps before a gearbox failure knocked him out on lap 30. Toyota has already been planning to get Crews into the Cup Series full-time, but should they?
It’s no secret that teams are trying to get prospects to NASCAR's top series as fast as possible, and Joe Gibbs Racing is no different with Crews. As mentioned, the prospect who began his career in go-karts took over for Bell, who was dealing with a wrist fracture, so Gibbs is already comfortable getting the 2008-born driver in a Cup car. Denny Hamlin also has high praise for Crews and has stated that he could see him in the Cup series by 2028. Several fans and media have listed the current Cup Series points leader’s 11 car as a fantastic landing spot for Crews after Hamlin decides to step away. A pairing of Crews, Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs would instantly make JGR one of the Cup Series most talented young teams and draw similarities to the early 2010s JGR teams.
There is evidence supporting the argument that bringing Crews to the Cup sooner would not properly develop him. Kevin Harvick, the mentor to the O’Reilly Series rookie, has told Gibbs to take caution on moving him up. Harvick said on the Daily Downforce media network, “Driving the Cup car is drastically different than anything that these kids have ever driven in their whole life”. Fans also point to Connor Zilisch, a highly talented prospect who is struggling heavily in his rookie season at Trackhouse Racing. Despite a 10-win season in the 2025 O’Reilly Auto Parts series, Zilisch has not gotten up to speed and sits 34th in points. Harvick and the fans believe that Crews will have similar struggles if he is catapulted into a Cup Series ride in 2028.
The 18-year-old star is already off to a fantastic start to his NASCAR career. His path to the Cup Series may already be set in stone after Hamlin’s statement. An O’Reilly series victory is on the horizon for Crews with how he’s performing, which will likely propel Toyota and JGR to bring him up even faster. Toyota can look at Crews as one of NASCAR’s best prospects. Rush him, and Crews may be in for a rough start to his Cup Series Career.
