Chandler Smith and Carson Brown will join Richard Childress Racing to pilot its NASCAR O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series entries in 2027, the team announced Wednesday.
Smith will drive the No. 21 Chevrolet for RCR on a multiyear agreement beginning next season, replacing Austin Hill as he departs for the team‘s No.33 NASCAR Cup Series program full time. Brown will step into the No. 2 Chevrolet on a multiyear agreement in place of Jesse Love, who will also join the Cup ranks in 2027 with Wood Brothers Racing. The No. 21 will get backing from 1-800-PACK-RAT as anchor primary sponsor on a multiyear deal while the No. 2 will continue a longstanding partnership with Whelen.
Smith returns to the O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series to join RCR after spending the 2025 and ‘26 seasons in the Craftsman Truck Series. The Georgia native completed two full seasons in the O‘Reilly Series in 2023 and 2024 with Kaulig Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, respectively, collecting three wins — two at Richmond Raceway and one at Phoenix Raceway. Smith finished fifth in the 2024 season standings before departing for the Truck Series.
MORE: O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings
In two campaigns with Front Row Motorsports‘ No. 38 truck team, Smith has amassed four victories, two of which have come this season. The 24-year-old currently sits third in the points standings as the tailgaters enter The Chase. Smith holds nine total Truck Series wins dating back to his first full campaign in 2021. He earned a career-high three victories in 2022 before finishing third in the final standings that year.
“I‘m really thankful for this opportunity and for the people who have believed in me and helped me get to this point,” Smith said in a team 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.”
Brown joined RCR‘s driver development program in November 2025 as a 17-year-old. In eight starts in the ARCA Menards Series national division this season, Brown has posted remarkable numbers, leading every lap of his debut to win at Phoenix in March with just one finish worse than third and no start worse than fifth. Brown has also won three pole positions, including his debut and earlier in the summer at Lime Rock Park and Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
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Brown tested an O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series car for the first time in July at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The North Carolina native made his series debut on Aug. 8 at Iowa Speedway driving the No. 32 Chevrolet for Jordan Anderson Racing, earning a 15th-place finish.
“I‘m incredibly grateful to everyone at Richard Childress Racing and Whelen for believing in me,” Brown said in a team release. “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.”
Both of RCR‘s current O‘Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers have locked into the 2026 Chase. Love and the No. 2 team sit fourth in the standings with one race remaining in the regular season, 299 points behind series leader Justin Allgaier as Love attempts to defend his 2025 title. Hill and the No. 21 team are seventh in points with two wins this season. Hill has split time between the O‘Reilly and Cup series this season, slotting into the renumbered No. 33 Chevrolet in Cup after the tragic death of Kyle Busch in May.