Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver Brent Crews underwent a “planned shoulder surgery” this past week, the organization confirmed to TobyChristie.com.
The 17-year-old driver posted a video to his social media accounts on Thursday, which shows him lying in a hospital bed with his right arm in a sling, with the caption “offseason activities”.
Having the surgery during the off-season was completely planned for Crews and was designed to address some issues that the up-and-coming superstar had been feeling throughout the year.
“There was no urgency or specific injury that caused the need, and the decision to undergo surgery was based on recovery time availability, rather than any type of medical urgency,” Joe Gibbs Racing added.
The organization further confirmed that Crews should be out of a sling before January 1, and that there is zero expectation that the recovery for said surgery will overlap with the NASCAR National Series schedules in 2026, where the driver is expected to have a significant schedule.
Crews is one of the drivers heavily involved in the Toyota Driver Development Program (T2D), which is run and funded by Toyota GAZOO Racing. In 2025, the native of Davidson, North Carolina, competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Often labeled as one of NASCAR’s strongest up-and-coming talents, Crews was able to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 10 times in 2025 — nine times in the No. 1 for TRICON Garage, and once for his self-owned Brent Crews Motorsports No. 70.
Twice during his partial campaign in the NASCAR Truck Series, Crews found himself in a position to earn his first career victory — once at the Charlotte ROVAL, and again two weeks later at Martinsville Speedway. Both times, Crews fell short of TRICON Garage teammate Corey Heim.
Driving the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the ARCA Menards Series, Crews went to Victory Lane six different times — including victories at Phoenix, Rockingham, IRP, Springfield, Bristol, and Phoenix.
The 2026 NASCAR National Series campaign will begin with Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway on the weekend of February 13 to 15. Crews will be too young to compete, not turning 18 until March 30, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will be fully healed and chomping at the bit to get going in what could be a landmark season for him.
