A statement has been made in the NASCARCraftsman Truck Series at Watkins Glen. 18-year-old Brent Crews won the pole award and it wasn't even close. He was about three-tenths quicker than anyone else in the qualifying session, and set a track record for the series in the process.
Brent Crews has raced at Watkins Glen before. He has ARCA and Truck Series experience at the track already. Still, his lap in qualifying was astounding. His 70.222 second lap compared to Ty Majeski's 70.536 for P2 shows just how great that lap was.
It wasn't Crews who set the track record to start with. That honor went to Connor Mosack at first. His 70.736 would be bested by three drivers total, and he fell to P4 in the session. The pole took a record and then some.
Brent Crews at Phoenix Raceway in 2025. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
To make things even more impressive, Brent Crews is racing in a stacked field. Two trucks went home after failing to qualify for the 36-truck field. On top of that, Connor Zilisch, Carson Hocevar, Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, and AJ Allmendinger. That is a lot of Cup Series talent.
Crews is and should be considered a driver on par with Zilisch in talent. He is young and has a lot still to prove in the Truck and O'Reilly Series, where he races full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing. Still, it shouldn't come as a shock for fans if and when he starts to rack up wins sooner than later.
If you want to talk about the future, Crews is the future for Joe Gibbs Racing. There are a lot of drivers that JGR can pick and choose from. William Sawalich is another young driver that they are developing. However, if you're talking about potential favorites to replace Denny Hamlin at JGR after 2027…Crews might be the generational answer and heir apparent.
Right now, he's still looking for his first career win to go with his first career pole. But don't sleep on the teenage driver. He is just now starting to tap into his talent and abilities, and he has all of the equipment and resources needed to make it happen.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
