Crews Checks Another Box For JGR

CLERMONT, Ind. — Brent Crews helped Joe Gibbs Racing check another box in the ARCA Menards Series Friday evening at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Gibbs’ ARCA Menards Series program had yet to win at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park prior to the LiUNA! 150 presented by Dutch Boy. Excellent second half adjustments from crew chief Matt Ross enabled Crews to overtake Brenden Queen and pull away for his second ARCA Menards Series national win of the year and third overall.

Crews has now won half of the ARCA Menards Series events he has entered in 2025. He knew adjustments would be needed to eclipse Queen’s stellar pace, but commended Ross for perfecting his car during the closing 75 laps.

“I was exhausted,” Crews said. “This JGR group did an absolutely fabulous job at the break there. [Queen] was really good in the first half and I was giving everything I had trying to hang with him. I knew Matt [Ross] and the crew had something up their sleeve to get me that extra little bit at the halfway break and that’s exactly what he did.”

Crews was biding his time behind Queen during the opening stint when he blew a right-front tire off Turn 4 and made contact with the outside wall. The 21st place finish Crews sustained that day was the first time Gibbs’ team had placed outside the top 10 in an ARCA Menards Series event since William Sawalich crashed out at Dover the previous year.

Eager to re-establish Gibbs’ efficient status quo, Crews implemented the same strategy from Dover, stay patient and wait until the halfway break to adjust.

Despite early contact with Queen, Crews made it to the competition yellow with an intact car, giving Ross the opportunity to prime his driver for the second half.

As Queen lost the balance on his car, Crews applied pressure to his rear bumper. The pass for the lead occurred with 58 laps left when Queen’s car got loose coming off Turn 2, allowing Crews to dive underneath him in the next set of corners and successfully grab the lead.

Two subsequent restarts caused Queen to lose track position and nearly fall outside of the top five during the final green flag run. Queen regrouped and successfully battled back to third.

“We just got way too loose,” Queen said. “I’m proud of the effort from these Pinnacle guys. Led a lot there, but we were too tight on throttle. It wasn’t like we made a big change or anything, but just enough to where I was loose in and loose off. Restarts weren’t going our way either, so we had to fight there and get what we could.

“Honestly, to get back to third there after being shuffled to fifth or sixth, I feel like that’s a good day for us.”

Queen’s second half struggles also caused him to slightly lose his advantage in the ARCA Menards Series point standings.

Lawless Alan, who entered the night second in points, placed runner-up to Crews, though Queen’s late charge minimized the damage.

Isabella Robusto ended her night in the fourth after being passed by Queen late, with Lavar Scott rounding out the top five.