NASCAR San Diego: Brent Crews' Fill-In Effort for Bell Ends Early

CORONADO, Cali. -- Brent Crews' foray into the NASCAR Cup Series ended far earlier than expected due to a mechanical issue.

Crews had a gearbox issue after completing 28 laps, putting him and Christopher Bell's No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE in the garage for the rest of the race at Naval Base Coronado.

"I don't really know what happened. I was going through the gears and the gearbox was in neutral for all of them," Crews said.

Crews filled in for Bell, who stepped out of the car due to a wrist injury sustained in a crash earlier this month at Michigan International Speedway. Bell made it through the race at Pocono Raceway but realized he wasn't at 100%, setting Crews up to be on standby in the shadow of San Diego. 

Ahead of the race, team owner Joe Gibbs gave his young NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver some advice for the fill-in stint.

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

Crews got called up under caution around 12 laps into the race when Bell stepped out of the car. Just three months after turning 18 years old and getting to run his first NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts race as a full-time NASCAR driver, Crews got to step into one of the best rides in all of NASCAR. 

Crews ran 15 laps until smoke billowed from his car, indicating the terminal issue.

The opportunity was short but it gave Crews a taste of what his future may look like. Crews has started his NOAPS career strong, nearly winning multiple races despite no experience in the car prior to February. 

More importantly, many project Crews to be Denny Hamlin's successor when his contract is up after 2027, his 22nd Cup season.

"[Cup is] a lot different. A lot more aggressive, a lot more going on," Crews said about the experience. "I feel like I tried to get acclimated quickly. I hate that it ended so early."

Crews indicated he is unlikely to be on standby for Bell at Sonoma Raceway. 

"I think Christopher is going to be good. Every single day, everybody at Toyota Racing does a great job to get us recovered. I had shoulder surgery in the offseason and got healed up quickly. I know they're going to work twice as hard on him, just being during the season and I think he's going to be fine," Crews said.

Crews' effort helped keep Bell in 12th in the points standings, 60 points above the Chase cutline with nine races until the postseason begins.