Entering his debut season with the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour, Brent Crews expected plenty of challenges going up against the established veterans.
The young Toyota development driver embraced the adversity by immediately establishing himself as a frontrunner. Crews’ consistency in the No. 29 Mobil 1 Toyota for Kevin Harvick Inc. earned him three victories, a fifth-place finish in the CARS LMSC Tour standings and the Bilstein Shocks Rookie of the Year.
Although he was unable to contend for a championship, Crews took great pride in everything he achieved with KHI as they transitioned into full-time Late Model Stock competition. The ability of Harvick’s team to match the efficiency of established programs is something Crews believes highlighted the hard work of everyone involved.
“We had a great season,” Crews said. “It means a lot to me and especially the team since this was their first year. We were tied for most wins on the year, and that’s pretty cool to do against drivers like Carson Kvapil, who is going to the [NASCAR] Xfinity Series, and [Brenden Queen]. It’s been a blast.”
Crews brought versatility to Harvick’s seat, having amassed several dirt midget victories and a title in the Trans Am Championship TA2 Class.
Running a handful of events for Donnie Wilson Motorsports in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour back in 2022 and 2023 provided Crews his first glimpse into the competitive nature of the platform. Crews enjoyed solid runs for Wilson, but knew more would be needed out of him if he wished to build on that success in Late Model Stocks.
It only took Crews four races before he tallied his first victory with KHI at Orange County Speedway, a feat obtained by leading the last 40 laps. Crews backed that performance up with additional triumphs at Caraway Speedway and Ace Speedway, both of which saw him take his first lead within the final 10 laps.
The LMSC Tour was the hardest challenge Crews has faced in his young career to date, but he has always prided himself on testing his physical and mental limits. Seeing 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson finish seventh in his lone LMSC Tour start only reinforced to Crews how imposing the series is to any driver regardless of their pedigree.
There were plenty of obstacles Crews faced during the year, but he came away from every outing much wiser about how to contend for wins. For Crews, the key catalyst towards establishing consistency on the LMSC Tour involved finding a perfect balance between patience and aggression.
“Being passive aggressive is something anybody can learn in the CARS Tour,” Crews said. “Up at the front, it can get super dicey, but knowing when to give and take was a big learning curve, so I had to master that. You can’t [go hard] with 60 laps to go, or you won’t have anything with 10 laps to go.”
The tenacious, methodical nature of Crews as a driver is why Bilstein Shocks Outside Sales Representative Adam Logan considers him a perfect fit for Rookie of the Year. Logan was grateful to see a Bilstein-affiliated team secure that award, but also commended Crews for how stalwart he was against a competitive LMSC Tour field.
“The team [Crews] drove for, Kevin Harvick Inc., they made the switch to our shocks this year when they started that team,” Logan said. “Brent is someone who never gives up, so to come out of his first season with Rookie of the Year is an accomplishment in of itself, but for him to win three races is such a big deal and speaks volumes of the talent Brent has.”
Crews himself was not surprised by the success he enjoyed with the LMSC Tour in 2024, as he understood the high standard of efficiency established by Harvick. While he had hoped for more consistency, particularly during the final five races, Crews said leaning off Harvick and the rest of his team proved invaluable when it came to acclimating to the discipline.
Big plans are in the works for Crews as the 2025 season approaches. No matter what he ends up driving, Crews feels more confident in his ability to excel because of the key fundamentals provided to him during the past year on the LMSC Tour.
“Learning how to save a little bit of tire is good to know,” Crews said. “You’re not doing that a bunch in other series. There’s so many tools you learn from the CARS Tour that you don’t really get elsewhere. It’s always good to have those tools in your back pocket for when they could come into play.”
Crews is unsure if his 2025 schedule will consist of LMSC Tour events, but he would love to return to the series that helped prepare him for the next step in his journey towards NASCAR’s premier ranks.
For more information on the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour, visit www.carsracingtour.com. Be sure to stay active and social with the tour by liking “CARS Tour” on Facebook, following @CARSTour on X (formerly known as Twitter) and scrolling through photos on Instagram cars_tour.
Additional series information can be obtained by calling the CARS Tour series office, located in Mooresville, NC, at 704-662-9212.
