Brent Crews, Toyota Racing’s next big developmental driver, has never been scared to race anything. By age 9, he had won three world championships in karting.
Growing up in the Charlotte suburbs, Crews wasn’t your typical kid. With no familial ties to racing, he tried his hand at team sports, playing football and soccer. His teammates weren’t as competitive as him, he recalled, so he wanted to attempt something else.
Matt Lankford, his stepdad — whom Crews refers to as his father — was instrumental in finding that path.
Crews recalled: “My dad came to me and saw me get super upset about wanting to win so much, and none of my teammates cared about winning, and he was like, ‘Do you want to play a sport where it’s you versus everyone else?’ I said yes, and he took me to the race track.”
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The timing came on the heels of Trackhouse Motorplex (formerly GoPro Motorplex) opening in 2012. Lankford brought Crews to the venue in the middle of a cold, wintry day. The rest is history.
Crews traveled around the globe, earning victories in Brazil, France, Germany and Switzerland. His competition? Some of the elite younger drivers in the world, including fellow NASCAR sensation Connor Zilisch and current Formula One driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. But it was a battle with Kyle Larson in an Outlaw Kart race in 2019 at Millbridge Speedway when Lankford realized his stepson was serious about making racing a career.
“I was as excited as you could possibly be just that we finished third,” Lankford said. “On the way home, he was like, ‘What are you so excited about?’ There was nothing in his mind that was OK. I said, ‘The guy that beat you is literally the best driver in the world.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, but I race at this track every week, and he comes here twice per year — I should beat him.’ That was when I noticed he thinks about this differently than somebody normal probably would.
“When I realized that’s how he looked at things, as I digested it all, I knew we were probably going to be doing this for a while.”
Crews followed up those accolades by becoming the youngest winner in Trans-Am TA2 history at 14 years old and winning the championship the next season. He sprinkled in additional dirt starts in a 410-winged sprint car that same year, as well as winning a Late Model Stock event at Hickory Speedway.
Lankford studied the careers of Larson, Tony Stewart and Christopher Bell to find a path for Crews. The model: race everything.
“That’s what we’ve lived by,” Crews said. “You see guys like Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell — all of those guys want to race anything they can, and I think that gives you an edge on everyone else.”
In 2023, Crews signed a multiyear deal with Toyota Racing as a developmental driver. It paid off with a win in his second career ARCA Menards Series start. In 2024 and 2025, he stacked more trophies onto his resume in a plethora of divisions. He also made 10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts for Tricon Garage in 2025, earning a pair of top-five finishes at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and Martinsville Speedway.
Crews knew that a leap to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2026 with Joe Gibbs Racing was in store, piloting the No. 19 Toyota.
“The path [Crews] took growing up was running Milbridge, go karts, late models and Trans Am, is probably the best development path that any driver has ever had,” reigning O’Reilly champion Jesse Love told NASCAR.com. “I think Brent’s natural ability is unbelievable. If Brent can have the right people in his corner and learn the right things quickly and not make a bunch of mistakes, he could be as good as anybody and be a threat for the championship.”
Because Crews won’t turn 18 until March 30, he isn’t eligible to compete in four of the opening six O’Reilly races in 2026 and will make his series debut Saturday at Circuit of The Americas (3 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Watching his friend group of Love and Zilisch boom in the series over the last two seasons has been painful from the sidelines. He’s happy for their success but wants to be on the same playing field.
“He has almost gone completely crazy having to watch his friends race the last few years,” Lankford said. “I think he will be fine. He has always raced with guys that were older than him, with the way it shook out with what we were trying to do.”
Crews also knows firsthand that the No. 19 team is fully capable of making a deep push and thinks he will be in the mix come fall. The team won the 2025 owner’s championship, after all.
“I think what Jesse said is right,” Crews said. “I don’t have any goals set out: wins or make the championship. Our goal is to give 100% every single week. We are going to prepare to the highest intensity level.”
Feeling pressure inside a race car isn’t a part of Crews’ arsenal. Lankford recalled a conversation with his stepson six months ago, where he said he finally found out what pressure was — and it was sinking a putt on the golf course with $200 on the line.
“I’ve been in that situation since I can remember,” Crews said of pressure. “My dad always said if I didn’t go out there and dominate in this series, I wasn’t going to be able to go to the next one. I’ve been used to that since I was 10 or 11, so this is just the next step at a higher level in front of more people. I’m excited to be able to show what I can do in front of a bigger crowd.”
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The last time Crews raced at COTA, he was victorious in TA2. He believes he can replicate Zilisch’s performance from 2024 at Watkins Glen International, when he cruised to victory in his series debut. He is aiming to become the eighth driver to win their first race out of the gate.
“If you don’t have an expectation to win everywhere you go, then what are you showing up for?” Crews said. “Especially COTA, where it’s what I grew up doing. I have a lot of confidence there, more than a lot of places.”
To secure a victory at COTA, he will have to outrun his friend Zilisch, Shane van Gisbergen, Hill and a slew of other established racing mainstays.
Challenge accepted.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he goes and wins at COTA,” Lankford said. “He gets around there pretty good, and the team gets around everywhere good. You put all of those pieces together, and he should be able to have some success.”