Rising NASCAR star Brent Crews has admitted that Denny Hamlin touting him as his Joe Gibbs Racing replacement caught him by surprise last month.

Hamlin made the comments following his victory at Michigan International Speedway in early June, where he once again reiterated his plans to retire from the sport at the end of 2027.

Hamlin's team, though, would love him to stay given that he continues to dominate races and take victories at 45 years old. But, Hamlin has told them he isn't ready to make a U-turn on his decision just yet, and as he revealed that information to the media, he also hinted at Crews as his likely successor.

"I told them, just check with me in six months, check with me in six months," Hamlin revealed on Prime Video.

“I don’t want to leave them in flux. They have a great driver in Brett Crews that is going to be ready more than likely by the end of next year. ... If it was right now, it would be really hard [to retire]. But I find it hard to believe that we’re going to be at this level at this time next year."

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Brent Crews reacts to Denny Hamlin replacement talk

Now, speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Crews has responded to those comments, admitting that they caught him off guard.

“I did not expect him to say that whatsoever; I swear to you, that was wild,” Crews said. “I had a big old smile on my face when he did say it because I had no idea.

"But, yeah, that was really nice of Denny to say, and I’m very grateful that he’s been watching, and that stuff’s really cool.

“Denny was my favorite driver as a little kid, my favorite football player was Julio Jones and he was number 11, so automatically Denny was my favorite driver. So to think when I was five years old, what I know now, I would…I don’t know what I would do. But no, it was super cool, and obviously that’s my dream, that’s everybody’s dream, especially from a young age.

“But at the end of the day, we have a long season left to go and a lot of races left to go, and I still have a ton to learn and a lot of races to go try to win.

“So until that happens, my eyes and body and mind is all focused on doing my best to win an O’Reilly race.”

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