Denny Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing to continue his Hall of Fame career in the No. 11 car. While there is currently no clear succession plan in place for Hamlin’s seat, developments are underway that could set the stage for one of the top NASCAR prospects to eventually take over.
Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports ranked Brent Crews third among the best NASCAR prospects right now. He also noted that the 17-year-old is “likely” to race full-time in 2026 with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series.
“Crews has two wins and a second in five ARCA national series starts. He also has one top 10 in three truck starts. He’ll likely race full time in Xfinity next season at Joe Gibbs Racing after he turns 18 in March.
Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports on Brent Crews
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Crews debuted in the Truck Series in 2025 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, finishing 22nd and taking 8th in Stage 2. About a month later, he placed eighth at Lime Rock. It’s a big leap for such a young driver, as even Connor Zilisch was older at 19 when he became a full-time Xfinity driver.
It would be quite the jump for the teenager to move to the Xfinity Series next season after appearing in just three Truck races this year. Even Connor Zilisch, who turned 19 years old in July, was older when he became a full-time Xfinity driver this season.
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The report from Pockrass came just days after Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic highlighted Crews as a potential successor to Hamlin to drive the No. 11 car in the 2028 season. However, the future Hall of Famer has said he could race a bit longer if NASCAR changes the championship format to three races instead of one.
With Zilisch moving up to the Cup Series next season to drive full-time for Trackhouse Racing, there will be even more attention on Crews as potentially the top prospect in the Xfinity Series. However, there’s still a chance that Corey Heim gets a full-time spot with an Xfinity team in 2026 after dominating the Truck Series this season.
