NASCAR’s future shifted on its axis when Denny Hamlin openly endorsed that rising teenage phenom Brent Crews as the leading candidate to inherit his iconic No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota once he steps away from full-time racing. For 18-year-old Crews, who currently drives the No. 19 for JGR in the O’Reilly Series, Hamlin’s statement completely caught him off guard and became a full-circle moment.
Reflecting on Hamlin’s high praise, Crews, during a conversation on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, said:
“I did not expect him to say that whatsoever. I swear to you, that was wild. I had a big old smile on my face when he did say it, because I had no idea. But yeah, that was really nice of Denny to say. And I’m very grateful that he’s been watching. And that stuff’s really cool.”
He then revealed the heartwarming, cross-sport reason behind his early loyalty to Hamlin’s and the No. 11 car.
“Denny was my favorite driver as a little kid. My favorite football player was Julio Jones. And he was number 11. So automatically, Denny was my favorite driver.”
The jump to the Cup level remains the most brutal transition in motorsports, and Crews is aware that executing in his current machine in the O’Reilly is the only way to solidify his future layout.
With the high-stakes battle for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series playoffs tightening up, Crews has no intention of letting future JGR Silly Season hypotheticals distract him from his current objective.
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Denny Hamlin applauds NASCAR’s removal of the ‘win-and-in’ format in 2026 season
Following years of intense debate among drivers, teams, and fans, NASCAR officially abolished the long-standing “Win and You’re In” regular-season format.
Speaking on the massive format shift, Denny Hamlin didn’t mince words, calling the decision an overdue correction that prevents fluke victories from hijacking the playoff grid. He said:
“Getting rid of the win and you’re in. Oh, maybe the biggest, best change ever, because now we know someone can’t just get lucky and pop one off from 24th in point. You got 26 races to prove yourself right and so one good or bad week should not be the indicator of whether you’re in or out like it’s no, you got a big old sample size.”
By forcing organizations to look at the scoreboard every single lap, NASCAR has dialed up the intensity of the regular-season points battle, aligning the sport closer to the traditional roots that veterans like Hamlin have championed for years.
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