Brent Crews made his unofficial NASCAR Cup Series debut on June 21 at the Naval Base Coronado when he filled in for Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell. However, the debut did not go as planned, as the young driver was left clueless after a mechanical issue ended his race prematurely.

Speaking with the media after the race, Crews said:

"I don't really know what went on. I was going through the gears, and the gearbox was in neutral through all of them," Crews told the media after the race.

Crews, who jumped in the No. 20 car of an injured Bell during the first caution, had a gearbox issue. After completing 30 of 75 laps, Crews had to bring the car to the garage, ending his race.

Surprisingly, Crews' race in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series was also left incomplete as the driver had to leave the race prematurely after 44 laps. Having started his race from pole and leading 11 laps, he had to go home with a DNF on Saturday.

"Unfortunate for the whole group, it was a great opportunity to come and learn and try to help these guys out. I had three laps, I think in the Cup car and five in the O’Reilly car, so it was just trying to learn to the best of my ability," Crews added.

Even though Christopher Bell had raced at Pocono with a left wrist fracture, he was not 100 percent fit in that race. Moreover, the road course of San Diego was more physically challenging, which led to the mid-race substitution.

Brent Crews received impetus from JGR boss before NASCAR debut

For a teenager like Brent Crews, piloting a Cup car for the first time, especially under a high-pressure one-off situation, can be nerve-wracking. But Joe Gibbs, the owner of JGR, knows everything needed to prepare a driver for the big leagues.

Ahead of the Cup race, Gibbs took the pressure off Crews' shoulder. He asked the 18-year-old to have fun on the race track. After all, that is the only reason every driver in the paddock chose racing as their career path.

"He told me to have fun and keep up a good spirit no matter what happens," Crews said post-race. "Coach is an amazing guy, and I tell everyone he is even cooler off camera than on camera. He's a great mentor and a great friend to have, the day I got there, and just a great person to have on your side."

Unfortunately for JGR, all four of its drivers finished outside the Top 10. Denny Hamlin secured 14th, Ty Gibbs finished 15th, Chase Briscoe finished 17th, and Bell/Crews had a DNF.

23XI Racing's 23-year-old driver Corey Heim won the race, finishing ahead of his teammate, Bubba Wallace, in second. Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, and AJ Allmendinger wrapped up the top five.

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Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yash Kotak