While Christopher Bell was able to race just fine at Pocono with no need for a backup, he might need one for San Diego. The race at Naval Base Coronado will require a lot more work with his left and right hands, and his broken left wrist complicates matters more on this track than on an oval.
In order to have the best backup available, Joe Gibbs Racing had to get approval from NASCAR. 18 year old Brent Crews is going to be the reserve driver in the event that Christopher Bell is unable to race due to pain or lack of mobility from his injury.
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Crews, who has never raced in the Cup Series, will be racing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday. Full-time drivers are not supposed to race more than one series since it is a new track for NASCAR. However, Crews has been approved as Bell’s reserve driver, according to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports.
Austin Hill is the other special case. Since he has been filling in the No. 33 Cup Series car following the death of Kyle Busch, Hill will race on Saturday and Sunday as well.
Brent Crews doesn’t have a win in his NASCAR career yet. However, he’s had back-to-back runner-up finishes, and six top-fives in the last nine races. He is also the most likely to take over the No. 11 car after Denny Hamlin retires. So, it makes a lot of sense to get him a little time in the car if the opportunity arises.
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With some in NASCAR believing that Crews is as talented as Connor Zilisch, it is no wonder that JGR would pick him as the reserve driver. His talents on a road course are elite even at a very young age.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
