Former Trojans join NASCAR pit crews

It’s a new era for the NASCAR Cup Series. A new championship format, new tracks and more. For Troy fans though, there’s a familiar face that can be found on pit road on Sundays. 

Brendan Jackson, a former linebacker for Troy football, now competes as a tire carrier on pit crews within NASCAR, the top level of motorsports in the United States. 

Jackson transferred to Troy from Gardner-Webb entering his senior season in 2024.

Though the team saw struggles in the first year of the Gerad Parker era, Jackson shined and achieved All-Sun Belt Third Team honors. 

Jackson briefly spent time with the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks but was released prior to the beginning of the season. At that point, Jackson turned elsewhere and found his way to NASCAR. 

“Even though we did not win as much [at Troy], whenever you have a season like that, it teaches you who to be as a person,” Jackson said. “It helped me develop core values and follow our saying that ‘the truth lies in the work’, and I’ve kept that mindset now in NASCAR.” 

He then joined Team Penske, one of the premier teams in the sport that has won five driver’s championships, including in three of the last four seasons. Team Penske is also widely successful within IndyCar, earning 20 Indianapolis 500 wins all-time.  

Through an agreement between Penske and Rick Ware Racing, Jackson currently serves as the rear tire carrier for pit stops for the No. 51 car driven by Cody Ware. 

Jackson is not the only Trojan who competes in the Cup Series. Following a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts, former wide receiver Landon Parker is a tire changer for Joe Gibbs Racing, another of the top teams in NASCAR. He is in his second season with the four-car team that includes three-time Daytona 500 winning driver Denny Hamlin. 

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Phoenix, Arizona, this weekend for the fourth race of the regular season. The No. 51 car of Cody Ware will look to build on a top 20 finish in the Daytona 500 in February with the help of his pit crew, including Brendan Jackson. The green flag drops for the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on FS1.