With Jesse Love departing in 2027 to serve as the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series and Austin Hill officially becoming the full-time driver of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series next season, that left two seats for Richard Childress Racing to fill in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series next season.
Those seats were officially filled on Wednesday, as the team announced Carson Brown and Chandler Smith as the full-time drivers for the program in 2027. Brown will pilot the No. 2 Chevrolet, while Smith will drive the No. 21 Chevrolet.
Smith, who is competing for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship this season with Front Row Motorsports, expressed gratitude to Richard Childress Racing for their belief in him and for 1-800-PACK-RAT, which will be an anchor partner for the effort next season.
“I’m really thankful for this opportunity and for the people who have believed in me and helped me get to this point,” said Smith in a team press release. “First and foremost, I want to give all the glory to God. He’s opened a lot of doors for me throughout my career, and I know none of this happens without Him. I’m also thankful for my family and everybody who has stood behind me through the ups and downs.
“To get this opportunity with Richard Childress Racing means a lot to me. RCR has such a great history of taking young drivers and giving them the tools to go out there and be successful, and I’m excited to be part of that. I’m really thankful to Richard and everyone at RCR for believing in me, and having 1-800-PACK-RAT come along with us for this next chapter makes it even more special. They’ve already been a great partner at RCR, and I think we can do some impactful things with this program, both on and off the racetrack. I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
Smith, 24, is a three-time race winner in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and he has nine career wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The 18-year-old Brown, who joined the Richard Childress Racing development program last season, finished 15th in his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut earlier this season at Iowa Speedway. Brown also has one win in eight ARCA Menards Series starts this season and a win in the ARCA Menards Series West in his lone start of the season in that series.
Whelen Engineering, which has supported the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing entry for years, will return as the anchor partner with Brown at the helm in 2027.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone at Richard Childress Racing and Whelen for believing in me,” said Brown. “This is something I’ve dreamed about for as long as I can remember, and I know how rare and special it is to be in this position. What an absolute honor to drive for Richard Childress, and to be able to represent Whelen, an American-made brand that has invested so much into motorsports over the years. I don’t take a single part of it for granted. I’m going to give everything I have and do whatever it takes to outwork, outlearn, and prepare myself every week. My goal is to work as hard as I can, continue to improve, and give RCR and Whelen everything I have every time we go to the racetrack. I’m really proud to be part of this program.”
Brown and Smith will combine to make up the next generation of RCR’s stellar NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program.
